NSTA Recommends
This series of eight books describing supersized animals is sure to capture the attention of the early reader in grades 1 to 3. The subjects include the world's largest rodent (the capybara), the largest marsupial (the red kangaroo), and the longest snake (the reticulated python). Some animals in the series are not rare or unknown to most students; what makes them unusual is their size. The books are recommended because of their unusual subjects and beautiful photographs illustrating physical characteristics, life cycles, and habitats.Students will be enticed to read about these supersized animals by an intriguing short blurb on each book's back cover. When students open the books, the first illustration they encounter is a comparison of the animal with commonly known objects. Because estimation is an important skill for children at this grade level, the illustration will allow for a greater appreciation of the animal's size. For example, the reticulated python is compared in length to two cars, the Emperor penguin to a 6yearold child, the killer whale to five tall adults, and the brown bear (standing on its back legs) to the height of a basketball hoop. Because this is a case in which size matters, students will have a greater understanding of the relative sizes of the animals when reading their actual measurements (in both standard units and metric).To reinforce the concept of size, each book ends with a comparison of the animal with a similar species. For example, the Siberian tiger is compared to other large cats, and the Southern Elephant Seal is compared to other common seal species. In addition to size comparisons, the final pages contain an index, a short book list for further reading, and the publisher's website for more information. In addition to their unusual size, the eight animals featured in the series have other special characteristics. These characteristics can be physical features (e.g., the Southern Elephant Seal has a nose that looks like an elephant's trunk when inflated with air), life cycle adaptations (the baby red kangaroo is born after a month's gestation but continues to develop in its mother's pouch for 6 to 8 months), or predatory behavior (the reticulated python swallows its prey whole, no matter how big the prey may be).Each book contains a map indicating the habitat location of that particular animal around the globe. Although the series is recommended, the glossary is limited. The words mate and mating are included in the glossary for the capybara and Emperor penguin, but not the other animals. However the terms prey and claws are included in several glossaries, but rodent is not. Because there is no guarantee that all the books would be purchased or read in a particular sequence, a more complete glossary would be valuable. Nevertheless, this nonfiction series would still be an attractive addition to the classroom library.
School Library Journal
These overviews introduce animals that are the largest of their group. Perspective is provided by comparing each animal's size to that of humans at the beginning of the book, and to other animals of its own species at the end. The picturebook format helps to stress the point of size, allowing for fullpage and spread pictures of the animals and large range maps. The pages are decorative without being cluttered. Back matter includes an illustrated glossary and a briefyetvaried list of further reading. Online researchers are directed to the publisher's homepage. This series is perfect for browsing and suitable for reports. From the brown bear to the red kangaroo, the animal kingdom is well covered here in its girth and stature.
The Horn Book Guide
Simple texts introduce the habitats, diets, life cycles, physical characteristics, behaviors, and unique adaptations for survival of these amazingly large [animals]. Stock photos, including closeups of adults and their young, illustrate the pages.
