From School Library Journal
Grades 1-4--An appealing introduction to an often-misunderstood animal. The narrative follows the day-to-day activities of skunks, focusing on the striped skunk, but with some information on spotted and hog-nosed skunks as well. The basics are covered, such as what they eat, how they raise their young, where they live, and, of course, how they defend themselves. Each spread features at least one appealing full-color photo and the captions often provide a few extra facts. There's nothing here that can't be found elsewhere, but the storylike text has appeal for browsers. Report writers will find what they need, but it may take a bit of work to locate specific information. Similar in scope to Emilie U. Lepthien's Skunks (Children's, 1993) and Sandra Lee's Skunks (Child's World, 1998), but with a slightly different method of presenting its facts, this is a serviceable addition to natural-history collections.
Arwen Marshall, formerly at New York Public Library
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Arwen Marshall, formerly at New York Public Library
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Gr. 3-5. The color photographs are the best part of this examination of the skunk's world. The many pictures show the three types of skunks found in the U.S. (striped, spotted, and hog-nosed) caring for their young, eating, digging, sniffing flowers, and, of course, spraying potential predators. The text gives a good overview of skunks' habits, but it can be confusing. For example, the author points out that skunks don't hibernate in the winter; instead they take "long naps" and sometimes sleep for "several weeks or months." An explanation of the difference between a long nap and actual hibernation would have been helpful. Overall, however, the text is succinct and readable, and it covers the points needed for most reports. A short glossary, a bibliography, and a list of Web sites are appended. Todd Morning
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
