From School Library Journal
Grade 2-4-Three carefully crafted books. A Dead Log presents the animals and plants that might be associated with a fallen log in a North American deciduous forest. A Saguaro Cactus introduces animals of the Sonoran Desert. Under a Stone highlights the creatures that live on a North American prairie. Each book is heavily illustrated with carefully selected, eye-catching, full-color photographs and a few explanatory drawings. The denizens of each ecosystem are well represented and some discussion of related plants and fungi is included as well. The interrelationships of life and the food web that make the ecosystem an integrated whole are highlighted. Insets providing "Fantastic Facts," captions to the illustrations, and an occasional longer inset further heighten interest without disrupting the flow of the narratives. The books conclude with instructions for simple and interesting ways to investigate habitats, with thoughtful injunctions for protecting the safety of both the individual and the organisms of the ecosystem. The terms in the glossaries seem somewhat arbitrary. For example, a mammal is defined, in part, as an animal that "suckles its young." However, more children are familiar with the concept of "mammal" than with "suckling." Nevertheless the books are well written and present a wide variety of information.
Stephanie Bianchi, National Science Foundation Library, VA Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an alternate
Library Binding
edition.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
From Chapter 4: Survival tactics The animals that live around the base of the saguaro must all cope with two main problems: the intense daytime heat and the lack of water. Most animals spend the hottest hours of the day hiding in the shade of plants and boulders. They find their food in darkness or at dawn or dusk, when it is cooler. Some animals that move around by day hop or run on tiptoe so that they do not burn their feet on the scorching earth.
--This text refers to an alternate
Library Binding
edition.
