Toad or Frog, Swamp or Bog?: A Big Book of Nature's Confusables

A close-up look at the mysteries of the natural world focuses on the similarities and differences between easily confusable animals--frogs and toads, ravens and crows--and other natural elements.

Grade 2-5-There is loads of information in this colorful picture book that points out the distinguishing features of many commonly confused animals, plants, and weather conditions. The rhyming questions, "What is the difference between a frog and a toad?/Is that a moose or a caribou crossing the road?" are superimposed on a full-color stylized painting that sets the scene. When readers turn the page, they'll find a double-page spread on which frogs and toads and moose and caribou are compared and contrasted in illustrated columns of text. Many interesting facts are introduced in the 22 comparative entries, such as that an octopus prefers to crawl while a squid is a strong swimmer. An enjoyable way to set the record straight.
Eva Elisabeth Von Ancken, Trinity Pawling School, NY
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

A cluttered structure obscures the merits of this helpfully illustrated and informative book. Spreads challenging the reader to identify various subjects ("Are those swarming insects wasps or bees? / What's the difference between deciduous and evergreen trees?") alternate with pages of illustrated, columnar comparisons and contrasts (bees eat nectar, wasps eat meat; bees are short and stubby, wasps' bodies are tapered). The presentation of two groups of two can be choppy, and the full-spread art and rhyming verse of the interspersed pages seem aimed at a much younger audience than that addressed on the text-heavy explanatory spreads. On the other hand, Gillman's art--rendered in watercolors, colored pencils and ink--achieves a happy balance of the instructive and the imaginative, and Graham-Barber's teaching devices are unusual and effective. Ages 5-10.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ages 5-10. Do you know the difference between an alligator and a crocodile, a tortoise and a turtle, or a tornado and a hurricane? These are nature's "confusables," animals and natural phenomena that are similar yet different and thus easily confused. The author and illustrator have created a dynamic picture book designed to help young naturalists untangle more than 20 pairs of these confusables. Vivid, double-page-spread watercolor landscapes show two pairs of confusables in their natural settings and pose simple questions in rhyme about the differences involved. These spreads alternate with double-page, side-by-side, and point-by-point sketchbook-style comparisons of the similarities and differences between the animals or phenomena pictured in the landscapes. Deceptively simple, this design works effectively to link a wide range of information while presenting the facts in an entertaining and easily understood manner. Brimming with related information that is not always easy to locate, the book is interesting and intriguing as well as unique and useful. Both a naturalist's and a librarian's delight. Annie Ayres