Looking at Animals (Discovering Science). This item is unavailable.Looking at Animals (Discovering Science)

Discusses the many different groups in the animal kingdom, including insects, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals

ea. vol: 47p. diags. photogs. glossary. index. (Discovering Science Series). Facts on File. 1987. PLB $10.95. Grade 3-5 The attempted scope of these two books is too broad; as a result the information on each topic is sketchy. Most of the information has been cov ered more extensively in How Animals Behave (1984) , Secret World of Ani mals (1986) , and Secret of Animals Sur vival (1983; all National Geographic). Both books are attractive, with good page design and excellent color photo graphs and illustrations. Each topic is covered in a two-page spread with two or three color photos or illustrations. It is difficult to determine an organiza tional pattern in How Animals Behave . Opening topics deal with the food chain, but then the text skips around to color in animals, animal senses, life in the air, animals that harm us, etc. Look ing at Animals is the better organized of the two titles. It begins with one-celled animals and progresses through the largest mammals. Both books close with a page advocating wildlife conser vation. The writing style is clear, but uninteresting. Sentences are short and offer little variety in construction, giv ing a stilted effect. Because of the ex cellent illustrations, these titles could be useful as supplements. They are not basic works on the subjects, and they are not useful for reports due to the lack of detailed information on each topic. Nancy B. Kweik, Minneapolis Public Library
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.