From School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 2–If you see a hippo yawning, don't assume it's naptime. The animal might be preparing to attack. This is just one of the informational nuggets found throughout this colorful and entertaining look at a variety of creatures. The close-up photographs are crisp, clear, inventive, and engaging, and the accompanying text on the double-page entries is compact. Nine photographs are necessary to show the variety of a chimpanzee's facial expressions, and six of an orangutan to capture her dance moves. And “scientists say yes!” confirms that orangutans are ticklish. Two photographs of a kangaroo show it at rest and hopping (a move termed saltation). The golden lion strides across two pages displaying his magnificent mane, yellow eyes, and tufted tail (the only one in the cat family). This title will be enjoyable browsing and great for reading aloud and sharing one-on-one. A “More Fun Facts” section at the end adds more details, and a smaller photograph provides a sense of the relative sizes of the subjects.
Frances E. Millhouser, formerly at Chantilly Regional Library, Fairfax County, VA© Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
“Kangaroos can’t hop backward, but they can hop forward as fast as 30 miles per hour!” The artfully selected facts and observations in this handsomely produced photo gallery are practically guaranteed to rivet budding naturalists, and Grubman’s 13 sharply detailed studio portraits of large wild animals placed against plain, pale backgrounds put on a show that’s every bit as engaging as the accompanying commentary. Grubman brings the challenges of animal photography to the fore by leading off with a nontechnical description of how the indoor shots were set up and by adding amusing comments on every spread about each photo session. A section of additional pictures and facts caps this broadly appealing introduction to a photographer and his sometimes unpredictable subjects. Grades 2-4. --John Peters
