From Library Journal
Grade 3-6-Markle does her usual thorough job in this discussion about kangaroos: the different types; how their bones, muscles, and tails enable them to jump; and how their physiology helps them live in the desert heat. In an engaging style, she describes how and what these animals eat and digest. She discusses their social organization and how they mate and raise their young. The life cycle, from embryo up to the day a joey first leaves its mother's pouch, is shown. As with the other titles in the series, the book is illustrated with clear, full-color photos showing the inside as well as the outside of the animal. It is unfortunate that there is no note for children on how they were taken, as some of them look like the animal might have been dissected. Nevertheless, there is much information for reports or for browsers here. A "Looking Back" section asks readers to look again at some of the photos and offers additional information about what is going on in them.
Sally Bates Goodroe, Harris County Public Library, Houston, TX Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
This Outside and Inside series title introduces kangaroos, their diet, behavior, life cycles, and physical makeup. From the onset, the prose is engaging, incorporating direct address and well-chosen questions to encourage thought and participation. The scientific explanations are concise; descriptive comparisons kids can relate to effectively convey aspects such as size and how kangaroo muscles work, with suggested exercises to further aid comprehension. Simply written but never condescending, the book reads like a lively dialogue in which many interesting facts and ideas are exchanged. Abundant full-color photos of kangaroos are fascinating and explicative, although vivid close-ups of the "insides" (stomach, heart, womb, for example) are not for the squeamish. A "Looking Back" section includes additional facts and questions, inviting fresh scrutiny of the photos and information. Italicized words in text appear in the combination glossary-index. Overall, an excellent, accessible scientific study of kangaroos for kids.
Shelle Rosenfeld
