Snakes and other reptiles

Elting, Mary

ISBN 10: 0382337034 ISBN 13: 9780382337031

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin, 2000

Synopsis

Describes the characteristics, habits, and habitat of an often misunderstood group of animals that includes snakes, crocodiles, alligators, turtles, and lizards.

About this title

From School Library Journal

Gr 4-6 This broad survey offers insuffi cient material for school reports, but its straightforward text and large, bright col or drawings on every page will attract browsers. The text briefly describes the basic physical characteristics of all rep tiles; the physical and behavioral charac teristics of a variety of world species; the diet, feeding habits, and methods of loco motion of assorted species; and the birth of young. A two-page section at the end debunks some common myths about rep tiles. This title, while accurately and clear ly written, is flawed by weak organization and superficial coverage of material. Most of the 23 short sections appear to be ar ranged at random; there is no strong theme to tie them together. The depth of information given on individual species varies greatly. Some animals, such as the chameleon, rate a whole page; others, such as the Siamese swamp snake, are de scribed in a sentence or two. The geo graphical range is given for some, but not all, animals. The brilliant watercolor illus trations match the text closely, and all ani mals portrayed are identified by common names; however many species portrayed as sharing the same habitat would not be found on the same continent. The lack of an index and a table of contents are fur ther handicaps. Better organized, more detailed titles present similar informa tioni.e., Petty's Reptiles (Gloucester Pr., 1987) and Zim's Reptiles & Amphibi ans (Western, 1953). Karey Wehner, San Francisco Public Library

Copyright 1988 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0382337034
• ISBN 13: 9780382337031
• Binding: Unknown Binding