This season's crop of animal-related series offers a variety of approaches—plus the occasional gimmick, such as texts punctuated with rebuses, or cleverly Photoshopped pictures—along with consistently high production values, to make introductions to either particular wild creatures or types of habitat memorable. Designed to address curriculum needs as well as to draw the eye with colorful graphics and high-quality photographs, the series below commonly slip in mention of the importance of environmental preservation and conservation along with the basic facts about particular creatures or environments. Nearly all close with indexes and lists of print and web resources. Those features are unfortunately limited and perfunctory but provide at least early opportunities to practice important research skills.

Preschool - Grade 4

ADAMSON, Heather. Animals with Speed. ISBN 978-1-60753-007-7. LC 2010007465. ————. Big Animals. ISBN 978-1-60753-008-4. LC 2010007462. ————. Bird Nests. ISBN 978-1-60753-009-1. LC 2010007290. DAWSON, Emily C. Animal Clothing. ISBN 978-1-60753-006-0. LC 2010007461. ————. Birds and Trees. ISBN 978-1-60753-010-7. LC 2010007289. ————. How Animals Find Water. map. ISBN 978-1-60753-011-4. LC 2010007460. ————. How Animals Sleep. ISBN 978-1-60753-014-5. LC 2010007463. ————. How Bees Make Honey. ISBN 978-1-60753-012-1. LC 2010007466. ————. Ocean Animals. ISBN 978-1-60753-013-8. LC 2010007282. ————. Where Animals Live. maps. ISBN 978-1-60753-015-2. LC 2010007464. ea vol: 24p. (Our Animal World Series). photos. glossary. index. Web sites. CIP. Amicus. 2010. PLB $21.35. K-Gr 2—With two or three short sentences opposite close-up color photos of animals in natural settings, these volumes invite budding naturalists to, for instance, consider which animal has the fastest bite (Animals with Speed), the largest beetles (Big Animals), and where and how birds build their homes (Bird Nests). As the topics vary massively in scope (sometimes more than the title might indicate; How Animals Find Water sticks exclusively to African animals), so does the level of detail—but the information is accurately presented, as far as it goes. Each volume closes with a spread of additional detail, a quiz, and customized enrichment suggestions for parents and teachers. ANDERSON, Sheila. What Can Live in a Desert? ISBN 978-0-7613-4570-1; ISBN 978-0-7613-5674-5; ISBN 978-0-7613-6254-8. LC 2009024857. ————. What Can Live in a Forest? ISBN 978-0-7613-4571-8; ISBN 978-0-7613-5675-2; ISBN 978-0-7613-6255-5. LC 2009025957. ————. What Can Live in a Grassland? ISBN 978-0-7613-4574-9; ISBN 978-0-7613-5678-3; ISBN 978-0-7613-6258-6. LC 2009025626. ————. What Can Live in a Lake? ISBN 978-0-7613-4573-2; ISBN 978-0-7613-5677-6; ISBN 978-0-7613-6257-9. LC 2009024858. ————. What Can Live in the Mountains? ISBN 978-0-7613-4572-5; ISBN 978-0-7613-5676-9; ISBN 978-0-7613-6256-2. LC 2009025208. ————. What Can Live in the Ocean? ISBN 978-0-7613-4569-5; ISBN 978-0-7613-5673-8; ISBN 978-0-7613-6253-1. LC 2009024859. ea vol: 23p. (First Step Nonfiction: Animal Adaptations Series). illus. photos. glossary. index. CIP. Lerner. 2010. PLB $21.27; pap. $5.95; ebook $15.95. Gr 1-2—In these small, square volumes the adaptations that animals have developed to live in various habitats are highlighted, but the information is sometimes incorrect, confusingly skimpy, or badly stated. Not only are the single-sentence captions below each color photo similar or identical from volume to volume, but indefinite antecedents are common—"These help them outrun hunters" (Desert); "They save them to eat during winter" (Mountains). Also, statements such as "Crabs have claws on the ends of their hands…" (Ocean) are likely to raise more questions than they answer. Furthermore, the animals in the first several pictures of each volume are not identified, and the ones mentioned in the "Fun Facts" closing spreads are not depicted. DE LA BÉDOYÈRE, Camilla. Biggest and Smallest. ISBN 978-1-59566-789-2. LC 2010010661. ————. Fastest and Slowest. ISBN 978-1-59566-760-1. LC 2010010663. ————. Smartest and Silliest. ISBN 978-1-59566-761-8. LC 2010010664. ————. Strongest and Weakest. ISBN 978-1-59566-788-5. LC 2010010665. ea vol: 32p. (QEB Animal Opposites Series). photos. glossary. index. CIP. QEB. 2010. PLB $27.10. Gr 3-5—Paying only lip service to their titles, these browsers' delights offer mixes of reasonably well-reproduced animal photos and briefly stated, eye-widening facts. The three or four illustrations on each spread include one life-size view of a creature or part of one (a gorilla's fingertip, for instance); unframed, not-to-scale close-ups of contrasting animals in natural settings; and, often, a smaller photo of a record-breaker. This last feature is not always related to the topic at hand (the world's longest worm appears in Fastest and Slowest;the spotted skunk, "No. 1 smelliest animal," takes a bow in Smartest and Silliest) but is still worth a look. Though it's hard to quarrel with the claim in Smartest and Silliest that human beings are the "No. 1 silliest animal," readers shouldn't look for strict accuracy here; the venomous blue-ringed octopus is characterized as a "weakling" based on the creature's lack of a skeleton, for instance, evidently just so that it will fit into Strongest and Weakest. Still, these make entertaining choices. Activity suggestions, written for parents and teachers, close the titles. GANERI, Anita. Anaconda. ISBN 978-1-4329-4112-3; ISBN 978-1-4329-4123-9. LC 2010001135. ————. Capybara. ISBN 978-1-4329-4110-9; ISBN 978-1-4329-4121-5. LC 2010001132. ————. Howler Monkey. ISBN 978-1-4329-4113-0; ISBN 978-1-4329-4124-6. LC 2010001137. ————. Jaguar. ISBN 978-1-4329-4106-2; ISBN 978-1-4329-4117-8. LC 2010000962. ————. Lemur. ISBN 978-1-4329-4111-6; ISBN 978-1-4329-4122-2. LC 2010001134. ————. Macaw. ISBN 978-1-4329-4105-5; ISBN 978-1-4329-4116-1. LC 2010000960. ————. Orangutan. ISBN 978-1-4329-4107-9; ISBN 978-1-4329-4118-5. LC 2010000966. ————. Piranha. ISBN 978-1-4329-4108-6; ISBN 978-1-4329-4119-2. LC 2010000969. ————. Poison Dart Frog. ISBN 978-1-4329-4104-8; ISBN 978-1-4329-4115-4. LC 2010000959. ————. Tarantula. ISBN 978-1-4329-4109-3; ISBN 978-1-4329-4120-8. LC 2010000970. ea vol: 24p. (A Day in the Life: Rain Forest Animals Series). diag. map. photos. further reading. glossary. index. Web sites. CIP. Heinemann Library. 2010. PLB $22; pap. $6.49. Gr 1-2—With surprisingly little boilerplate considering how similar their narrative structures are, these introductions cover, except for the lemur and the orangutan, all South or Central American animals. They discuss coloration and other obvious physical features, geographic ranges, typical foods, predators or prey, reproduction (except, oddly, when it comes to the piranha), and daily cycles of activity. Each one ends with a labeled frontal or side "body map" and four or five mostly age-appropriate sources of further information. On each page, Ganeri presents information clearly and simply in large type, two-sentence comments placed below a bright, sharply reproduced color photograph of the animal in a natural setting. Some of the pictures—such as one view of a Goliath birdeater tarantula actually eating a bird—though naturalistic, are more likely to stimulate than disturb young viewers. Though so basic that, for instance, the fact that there are some nocturnal lemur varieties goes unmentioned, these treatments are sufficiently specific to support assignment as well as pleasure reading. GEORGE, Lynn. Beavers: Dam Builders. diag. illus. ISBN 978-1-4488-0698-0. LC 2010008871. ————. Coral: Reef Builders. diag. ISBN 978-1-4488-0694-2. LC 2010005273. ————. Prairie Dogs: Tunnel Diggers. illus. ISBN 978-1-4488-0695-9. LC 2010008867. ————. Termites: Mound Builders. ISBN 978-1-4488-0696-6. LC 2010008872. ————. Wasps: Nest Builders. diag. ISBN 978-1-4488-0693-5. LC 2010001388. ————. Wombats: Burrow Builders. ISBN 978-1-4488-0697-3. LC 2010008868. ea vol: 24p. (Animal Architects Series). photos. glossary. index. Web sites. CIP. Rosen/PowerKids Pr. 2010. PLB $21.25. Gr 2-3—Aside from occasional quick comments and a superficial labeled photograph or diagram in each volume, these supposed studies of homes and other structures created by animals are really general surveys of each creature's habitat, feeding habits, and life cycle. Beavers, for instance, doesn't get around to a description of how the animal's lodge is constructed until page 12, and the labeled cutaway diagram of the dwelling doesn't show some of the features mentioned. Supposed "Inside Views" of a termite mound and prairie-dog tunnels are surface photos only. Also, the texts leap mid-sentence from one color patch to another on some pages, and the writing isn't uniformly careful either, as a line about how the box jellyfish sting "is not only deadly, but it is also very painful" demonstrates. KATIRGIS, Jane. Baby Backyard Animals. ISBN 978-0-7660-3795-3; ISBN 978-1-59845-158-0. LC 2010016254. ————. Baby Farm Animals. ISBN 978-0-7660-3794-6; ISBN 978-1-59845-157-3. LC 2010011895. ————. Baby Forest Animals. ISBN 978-0-7660-3798-4; ISBN 978-1-59845-161-0. LC 2010019741. ————. Baby Grassland Animals. ISBN 978-0-7660-3793-9; ISBN 978-1-59845-156-6. LC 2010011890. ————. Baby Snow Animals. ISBN 978-0-7660-3797-7; ISBN 978-1-59845-160-3. LC 2010011888. ————. Baby Zoo Animals. ISBN 978-0-7660-3796-0; ISBN 978-1-59845-159-7. LC 2010011896. ea vol: 24p. (All About Baby Animals Series). photos. further reading. index. Web sites. CIP. Enslow. 2010. PLB $21.26; pap. $6.95. PreS-Gr 1—These photo-album like titles are designed to provide pre-readers with plenty of eye candy in the form of photos of young animals, usually in natural settings, and sometimes with a visible parent, and statements that baby animals sleep, play, come in families, and similar concepts. The texts vary in word count from 20 to 62. Pages feature from single words in Farm Animals to complete simple sentences in the other books; the narratives in Baby Forest Animals and Baby Grassland Animals are almost identical. The photos are merely adequate. LUNIS, Natalie. Black Spiny-Tailed Iguana: Lizard Lightning! ISBN 978-1-936087-91-4; ISBN 978-1-936088-70-6. LC 2010019671. ————. California Sea Lion: Fast & Smart! ISBN 978-1-936088-08-9; ISBN 978-1-936088-67-6. LC 2010017683. ————. Cheetah: Speed Demon! ISBN 978-1-936087-89-1; ISBN 978-1-936088-68-3. LC 2009053573. ————. Greyhound: Canine Blur! reprods. ISBN 978-1-936087-90-7; ISBN 978-1-936088-69-0. LC 2010010576. ————. Peregrine Falcon: Dive, Dive, Dive! ISBN 978-1-936087-93-8; ISBN 978-1-936088-72-0. LC 2010008023. ————. Pronghorn: Long-Distance Runner! ISBN 978-1-936087-94-5; ISBN 978-1-936088-73-7. LC 2010011127. OLDFIELD, Dawn Bluemel. Killer Whale: Water Bullet! ISBN 978-1-936087-93-8; ISBN 978-1-936088-71-3. LC 2010008023. ea vol: 24p. (Blink of an Eye: Superfast Animals Series). map. photos. further reading. index. Web sites. CIP. Bearport. 2010. PLB $22.61; ebook $22.61. Gr 2-3—Clearly presented information and exciting action photos make these portraits of speedy creatures above-average choices. The level of detail in each one isn't very deep, but readers will come away with a solid basic understanding of each animal's natural range, habitat, food, prey and predators, and top speed (compared on each opening spread to slower human sprinters or swimmers as well as other animals) and the physical adaptations that account for it. The short and easy texts accompany big, sharp color photos of each animal at rest or in either pursuit or being chased. A link to web resources compiled on the publisher's page enhances the lists of further-reading resources. LYNETTE, Rachel. Who Lives in a Colorful Coral Reef? ISBN 978-1-4488-0677-5. LC 2009054350. ————. Who Lives in a Deep, Dark Cave? ISBN 978-1-4488-0676-8. LC 2009052017. ————. Who Lives in a Wild, Wet Rain Forest? ISBN 978-1-4488-0678-2. LC 2010000423. ————. Who Lives on a Towering Mountain? ISBN 978-1-4488-0680-5. LC 2010003466. ————. Who Lives on the Cold, Icy Tundra? ISBN 978-1-4488-0675-1. LC 2009054351. ea vol: 24p. (Exploring Habitats Series). photos. glossary. index. Web sites. CIP. Rosen/PowerKids Pr. 2010. PLB $21.25. Gr 2-3—Aside from the lack of maps, most of these basic surveys provide acceptable overviews of climates, conditions, and the sorts of large animals commonly found in selected habitats. Oval frames and color areas give the single-topic spreads an organic look, and the color photos offer visual variety with a broad range of close-up and more distant portraits. Mountain stirs non-alpine creatures such as bald eagles and porcupines into the mix, and readers may come away from Cave wondering why "Even a small cave must be large enough for a person to fit inside," or why the narrative mentions only one kind of bat that lives in New Mexico's Carlsbad Caverns when the neighboring caption claims that there are 17. A closing note leads readers to links to further resources on the publisher's site. MITCHELL, Susan K. Biggest vs. Smallest Amazing Mammals. ISBN 978-0-7660-3582-9. LC 2009001676. ————. Biggest vs. Smallest Creepy, Crawly Creatures. ISBN 978-0-7660-3581-2. LC 2009001675. ————. Biggest vs. Smallest Incredible Insects. ISBN 978-0-7660-3583-6. LC 2009001677. ————. Biggest vs. Smallest Sea Creatures. ISBN 978-0-7660-3580-5. LC 2009001680. ————. Biggest vs. Smallest Slimy, Scaly Creatures. ISBN 978-0-7660-3579-9. LC 2009001678. ————. Biggest vs. Smallest Things with Wings. ISBN 978-0-7660-3578-2. LC 2009001679. ea vol: 24p. (Biggest vs. Smallest Animals Series). illus. maps. photos. further reading. index. Web sites. CIP. Enslow. 2010. PLB $21.26. Gr 1-3—Each title in this substandard series pairs the largest and smallest examples of three types of animals and closes with a final page on an even-larger (usually extinct) creature. Though Mitchell provides dimensions for each creature, only a few of the color photos include objects that would give readers a sense of scale and even the small animals are usually not shown at actual size. Furthermore, there is a description but no picture of the Samoan moss spider in Creepy, Crawly Creatures and the supposedly "bright yellow" live-bearing sea star in Sea Creatures is orange in the photograph. The narratives include occasional undefined technical terms ("photo-micrograph") and vague statements such as, "The black-footed cat is just as tough as some big cats." Skip this one. MITTEN, Luana K. Bunches of Lunches. ISBN 978-1-61590-260-6; ISBN 978-1-61590-500-3; ISBN 978-1-61741-124-3. LC 2010010103. ————. Good Night, Sleep Tight. ISBN 978-1-61590-259-0; ISBN 978-1-61590-499-0; ISBN 978-1-61741-123-6. LC 2010010102. ————. Peek-a-boo, Baby. ISBN 978-1-61590-262-0; ISBN 978-1-61590-502-7; ISBN 978-1-61741-126-7. LC 2010010107. ————. Squeak, Squeal, Squawk. ISBN 978-1-61590-261-3; ISBN 978-1-61590-501-0; ISBN 978-1-61741-125-0. LC 2010010105. ea vol: 24p. (Animal Babies and Me Series). photos. glossary. index. Web sites. CIP. Rourke. 2010. PLB $22.79; pap. $7.95; ebook $22.79. PreK-Gr 1—Though not all of the animals shown in these titles' big, color close-ups are actually babies (the frog's an adult, for instance, and so are the ladybugs), and it's misleading to put snoring "ZZZZZZZ"s over pictures of said ladybugs, as well as over a snail and a spider in Good Night, Sleep Tight, these introductions get high marks as read-alouds and for sheer cuteness. Each volume ends with human children sleeping, eating, playing, or giving parents a big "peek-a-squeeze." The preceding contents are not designed to a rigid template, instead offering a question or silly suggestion ("‘Can we have candy for lunch?' ‘No, no! How about…Bunches of BUGS?' ‘No, no! That's little lizard's lunch") to encourage audience participation. Closing picture glossaries add a sentence or two of further information about each animal, and suggested websites lead to even more. Engaging, if not always strictly accurate, introductions to animal behavior. SPILSBURY, Louise. Dolphin. ISBN 978-1-4329-3999-1; ISBN 978-1-4329-4006-5. LC 2010000485. ————. Jellyfish. ISBN 978-1-4329-4000-3; ISBN 978-1-4329-4007-2. LC 2010000624. ————. Octopus. ISBN 978-1-4329-4004-1; ISBN 978-1-4329-4011-9. LC 2010000922. ————. Sea Turtle. ISBN 978-1-4329-4001-0; ISBN 978-1-4329-4008-9. LC 2010000626. ————. Seal. ISBN 978-1-4329-4002-7; ISBN 978-1-4329-4009-6. LC 2010000628. ————. Shark. ISBN 978-1-4329-4003-4; ISBN 978-1-4329-4010-2. LC 2010000921. ea vol: 24p. (A Day in the Life: Sea Animals Series). diags. photos. further reading. glossary. index. Web sites. CIP. Heinemann Library. 2010. PLB $22; pap. $6.49. Gr 1-2—These nautical profiles pair well-chosen color photos—such as a view of a Pacific giant octopus with a diver next to it for scale and an unusual close-up of the inside of a leatherback turtle's mouth showing the spines that prevent jellyfish from escaping—with one or two sentences of simply worded commentary for each. Though each volume includes references to several varieties of the chosen creature, one species in particular is highlighted: Weddell seals in Seal, for instance, and Great Whites in Shark. An awkwardly phrased claim that jellyfish "squeeze their body tight and push out the water to make them move" aside, all of these make good choices for pleasure or purpose reading. TRUEIT, Trudi Strain. Jellyfish. ISBN 978-0-7614-4891-4. LC 2009025934. ————. Octopuses. ISBN 978-0-7614-4892-1. LC 2009025935. ————. Sea Horses. ISBN 978-0-7614-4893-8. LC 2009025472. ————. Sea Turtles. ISBN 978-0-7614-4895-2. LC 2009025473. ————. Sharks. ISBN 978-0-7614-4896-9. LC 2009025474. ————. Starfish. ISBN 978-0-7614-4894-5. LC 2009025475. ea vol: 23p. (Benchmark Rebus: Ocean Life Series). photos. further reading. glossary. Web sites. CIP. Marshall Cavendish/Benchmark. 2010. PLB $22.79. K-Gr 1—These small volumes feature full-page color photos, one per spread, paired with single declarative sentences. All open with a "glossary" of 9 or 10 labeled thumbnail photos, which are then used in the main text as rebuses: "This [jellyfish] has [spots]," or "An [octopus] hides in [coral]," for example. Though there is some overlap in the rebus photos, the books are not interchangeable as examples of the narrative technique because each one also develops a theme: Jellyfish is a survey of body parts; Sea Horses explains that the creatures use their tails to hold on to a variety of things, and so on. The theme in Sharks is that some sharks are big; it doesn't work because there's nothing in the photos to show scale. Otherwise, this series will be as useful for literacy instruction as for natural-history study. Closing resource lists lead to more detailed information. UNDERWOOD, Deborah. Hiding in Deserts. map. ISBN 978-1-4329-4021-8; ISBN 978-1-4329-4030-0. LC 2009051761. ————. Hiding in Forests. ISBN 978-1-4329-4022-5; ISBN 978-1-4329-4031-7. LC 2009051765. ————. Hiding in Grasslands. ISBN 978-1-4329-4024-9; ISBN 978-1-4329-4033-1. LC 2009051767. ————. Hiding in Oceans. map. ISBN 978-1-4329-4020-1; ISBN 978-1-4329-4029-4. LC 2009051757. ————. Hiding in Rain Forests. map. ISBN 978-1-4329-4026-3; ISBN 978-1-4329-4035-5. LC 2009051775. ————. Hiding in the Mountains. ISBN 978-1-4329-4023-2; ISBN 978-1-4329-4032-4. LC 2009051766. ————. Hiding in the Polar Regions. ISBN 978-1-4329-4027-0; ISBN 978-1-4329-4036-2. LC 2009051778. ————. Hiding in Wetlands. ISBN 978-1-4329-4025-6; ISBN 978-1-4329-4034-8. LC 2009051773. ea vol: 32p. (Creature Camouflage Series). photos. further reading. glossary. index. Web sites. CIP. Heinemann Library. 2010. PLB $26. pap. $7.99. Gr 2-3—Using a bit of photo-magic to help viewers understand how camouflage works, each volume features eight paired views of an animal—one in saturated but close to natural color, the other (seen with a turn of the page) showing it as before but with all the surrounding vegetation or ground converted to neutral shades. The trick doesn't work well in some of the shots in Polar Regions(snow is snow, after all), and many of the photos are so close-up that the animals aren't all that hidden—but it's still a neat idea. Sandwiched between introductory capsule descriptions of each habitat and the adaptations that natural residents have made, and closing spreads on wildlife with coloration that's intended to stand out rather than conceal, the picture galleries provide unusual support for a range of natural-science interests. Grades 5 and Up MILLER, Sara Swan. Secret Lives of Burrowing Beasts. ISBN 978-0-7614-4221-9. LC 2009036709. ————. Secret Lives of Cave Creatures. ISBN 978-0-7614-4224-0. LC 2009035557. ————. Secret Lives of Deep-Sea Creatures. reprods. ISBN 978-0-7614-4226-4. LC 2010000376. ————. Secret Lives of Seashell Dwellers. ISBN 978-0-7614-4228-8. LC 2010000377. ————. Secret Lives of Soil Creatures. ISBN 978-0-7614-4229-5. LC 2009035581. ea vol: 48p. (Secret Lives Series). photos. further reading. glossary. index. Web sites. CIP. Marshall Cavendish/Benchmark. 2010. PLB $29.93. Gr 4-6—The bright, sharp color photos in these peeks beneath the planetary surface enhance, but take second fiddle to, Miller's lively, well-knit narratives. Each volume introduces about a dozen creatures, gathered into groups by some common characteristic—Burrowing Creatures, for instance, profiles underground mammals (aardvarks and naked mole rats, for example), amphibians (Mexican burrowing toads), and reptiles (worm lizards and blind snakes). Closing chapters in Seashell Dwellers and Soil Creatures expand the range of types of animals included, adding informational value, and each volume closes with a generous selection of print and web resources. The Bottom Line

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Early readers will find Heinemann's two "A Day in the Life" series both entertaining and informative, and for middle- to upper-grade students, Bearport's "Blink of an Eye: Superfast Animals" and Marshall Cavendish's "Secret Lives" offer above-average content and presentations. Enslow's "Biggest vs. Smallest Animals," Lerner's "First Steps Nonfiction: Animal Adaptations,"and Rosen's "Animal Architects" are the weakest of the group; the other series will make suitable additions or replacements as needed.