Great Snakes! (level 2) (Hello Reader)

Introduces children to the wonderful world of reptiles with easy-to-read rhymes and detailed illustrations that describe many colorful varieties, from identifying marks to their habits and habitats. Original.

Gr. 2^-3. At first this book appears to be a cross between a counting book and an introduction to the many shapes and colors of snakes. But it gets more specific (and graphic) than that. The well-executed art shows snakes shedding their skin, snakes coming out of eggs, a snake eating a rodent, and later, almost too graphically, a snake swallowing a crocodile. (The text at this point is a little odd: "Chickens, frogs, and, for a treat, / a crocodile--that's quite a feat!") A key at the end shows in miniature the snakes in the book and identifies them. Kids, especially young naturalists, will find this of interest, but the fainthearted may just say, "Ugh!" Ilene Cooper