Editorial Review

In this entry in the Nature’s Neighborhoods: All about Ecosystems series, close-up photographs of fly larvae, acorns in the midst of sprouting, curious raccoons, and pine cones greet readers. Keeping the focus solidly on a deciduous, temperate forest, the splashy page layouts help young ones answer questions such as “Which animals live in a forest?” “What do they eat?” and “How do they survive?” In this compact but fact-filled offering, young ecologists learn about the flora, fauna, and fungi that inhabit the forest and how all of these work together to make one ecosystem. Sentences are short, with bold-faced vocabulary words defined in a glossary, and text bubbles add additional information. Full-page color photographs are accentuated by labels pointing out different parts of each plant and creature. A food web that helpfully includes most of the creatures, big and small, mentioned in the book, a glossary, and an index make up the back matter. For those who prefer their ecosystems up close and personal, this is a good pick.