November 1, 2014
K-Gr 2-Each page in these books for early readers offers two to three sentences on a topic, such as food, appearance, and habitat. The facts are basic, and the language is plain but interesting enough to engage readers. Excellent photographs fill more than a page; most images depict the animals in the wild through eye-catching close-up scenes. Most do a stellar job of directly demonstrating the text ("Chameleons can look two ways at once," for example, is perfectly supported by a close-up view displaying those oddly independent eyes). A couple of images are less successful, but for the most part the connection between images and words is effective. The set successfully shows how simple language combined with well-chosen photos can result in fun and exciting nonfiction.
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