Reptile (Eyewitness Books) [Hardcover]

Colin McCarthy (Author)

Book Description

Series: Eyewitness Books

Full-color photos. A closeup look at the habitats, behavior, and natural history of the species that once ruled the earth. "Reptile stands out because of the fascinating photographs, which are brilliantly lifelike and well chosen to demonstrate concepts discussed, educating readers in a way that words cannot. The text is nicely balanced between straightforward factual data and intriguing bits of trivia, making the book useful both to browsers and report writers."--School Library Journal.

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

A predictable entry in the ``Eyewitness'' series, full of eye-popping color photos, whimsical historical drawings, and brief snatches of text telling about evolution, anatomy (inside and out), life cycle, and the variety of reptiles. This will be popular for browsing but of limited use for research or for the hobbyist. Index. (Nonfiction. 8-12) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Review

...a mini museum between the covers of a book. [Eyewitness series] -- The New York Times

These books' striking visual impact will draw in even the most casual readers. [Eyewitness series] -- School Library Journal --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 63 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers; First edition (March 20, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679807837
• ISBN-13: 978-0679807834
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,742,466 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This won't be our last Eyewitness book!, May 4, 2005

By 

A. Ryan "Merribelle" (Westminster, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Reptile (Eyewitness Books) (Hardcover)

This gift from my mother in law for my son sat unused on the shelf for about 2 years before he discovered it at the age of 6. Now suddenly it's the favorite "toy"; dragged to school, on short car trips across town and kept close during every spare moment at home. He knows instantly how to find his favorite spreads on the alligator snapping turtle and the crocodile skulls - invaluable for impressing his friends, teachers and complete strangers. This book inspired a very keen interest, to say the least!

Yes, the Eyewitness series is *technically* for an older reading level but they still make good picture books for younger kids because the pictures are visually stimulating and graphically laid-out on a plain white background (non-distracting). The information is also broken up into small groups of text next to specific photos or illustrations, arranged interestingly around the page. When a picture sparks his interest I can read about that item to my son and leave out other items until he's ready to explore further. In this way, our one-spread-per-night "story" time stays fun for his young mind without being overwhelming.

Just for example, the spread on Turtles and Tortoises starts with a technical definition in the main body, then the "tidbits" of info spread around the rest of the space give interesting anecdotes about their shells, common and uncommon species, turtle mythology, the largest turtle on record and Lonesome George, the last giant Galapagos island tortoise. Just enough educational material upon which to start research for a school paper, but not so much that it becomes discouraging.

What it all comes down to is, this book impressed me so much that I will be ordering several other of the Eyewitness series books as my kids grow, both for their enjoyment and as good reference materials for school. Excellent!
-Andrea, aka Merribelle

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reptile have surived for 300million years up until, now as the only surving dinosaurs of it,s prehistoric kind!, January 3, 2010

By 

Peppercorn (sydney australia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Reptile (Eyewitness Guides) (Hardcover)

Many people overlook that dinosaurs were once reptiles and that Reptiles have been around for 300million years,because of it but those days are long gone and those giants have vanished from earth in which an incredible quantity of reptiles still thrive today such as crocodiles, snakes, lizards, turtles and many more. The diversity amongst reptiles is nothing short of amazing from the 8meter crocodile to the mood and color changing chameleon there are an incredible array of creatures at its very best built for surival. Most reptiles live on land and most lay eggs. We have always been fascinated by creatures that are as old as time itself especially crocodiles that are of an ancient lineage and are believed to have changed little since the time of the dinosaurs.They are a true predators of land and ocean in fearlessness with the strength to match in there powerful tenacity and survival instincts that date back 300million years ago that has been through it,s worst of times. We have an incredible fascination with reptiles we fear them but at the same time we respect their diversity and uniqueness in which their lineage has enabled them to spread throughout the world. Reptile eyewitness guide is an invaluable source of information packed with photos and reference material that are always a must to have in any libary reference filled bookcase. Reference books like Reptile are a guide in conserving them so that way that we can see and learn about them educationally but sometimes fear them becuase were very visual as species of animals in what we see with our eyes but in the end we have to learn how to respect them for being on this earth gently or otherwise they would become extinct.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reptiles Alive!, February 24, 2006

By 

Marina B. Luberda (Virginia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Eyewitness: Reptile (Hardcover)

Dorling Kindersley does it again. Their "Eyewitness: Reptile" book is full of beautiful photographs and fascinating facts. This book, as with the others in the DK "Eyewitness" series, can be enjoyed as casual reading by readers of all ages, as well as used as a helpful resource book.