June 1, 2006
PreS-Gr 2 -These titles trace the lives of four animals from birth to maturity. Each book reads like a story with scientific details woven into the narrative. Events described are typical and not overtly fictionalized. For example, while the panda cub waits for his mother to return with food, he watches a squirrel, two takin, and a golden pheasant. Each book begins with a few facts about the animal and concludes with a location map and a list of -fun facts. - Small text boxes provide additional information without interrupting the narrative flow. Other animals common to each habitat are shown and labeled. The large, cut-paper illustrations are generally successful; occasionally, they appear awkward and flat (particularly the image of the mother panda holding her newborn). For Web sites, readers are directed to the FactHound site with a 10-digit code to enter. A list of sites then appears, but not all are specifically related (the code for pandas brings up sites about mammals, including American bison and beavers). These titles work well as read-alouds and provide enough factual information for simple reports." -Suzanne Myers Harold, Multnomah County Library System, Portland, OR"
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