Review
'Awesome Amphibians starts by highlighting the characteristics of amphibians; the fact that they are cold-blooded, have backbones, and start life in water. The mission then takes the reader around the world, continent by continent to discover interesting and unique amphibians. Blastoff Missions Amazing Animal Classes is a series sure to inspire a child’s natural curiosity. Each title starts with Mission Goals to promote fluency (identify sight words), enhance comprehension (identify traits), and promote critical thinking (think of a question). The informational text engages the reader as a participant in the narrative. The conversational style of the text provides age appropriate academic and subject specific vocabulary. Bolded vocabulary terms are defined in the glossary. Colorful illustrations include identifying and descriptive captions. Extra tidbits of information are provided by Jimmy, a space traveling, cartoon-like avatar who accompanies the reader on all the narrative missions. Endpapers include a glossary, index, and To Learn More section. The To Learn More resources have three print sources in the At the Library section. The On the Web resources direct the reader to Factsurfer which provides easy access to three curated age appropriate digital resources. Endpapers also include three extension questions in the Beyond the Mission section to help readers connect their learning from the book to their own experiences.', Anne Hales, South Sound Book Review Council, Washington,'The new Blastoff! Missions imprint is designed to make learning an adventure through its use of engaging narrative text. This entry in the Amazing Animal Classes series (6 titles) takes a look at amphibians and invites readers on a world tour to meet a variety of these creatures. Vibrant illustrations reminiscent of Steve Jenkins fill the pages with close-up renderings of critters ranging from a smooth newt (Europe) and American bullfrog to a red-eyed tree frog (Central America) and Chinese giant salamander. Though these animals all look very different, readers learn that they share the amphibious qualities of being cold-blooded, slimy-skinned vertebrates. Periodically, Blastoff! Jimmy, a cartoon boy, makes appearances to share facts on amphibians in general as well as specific species. Preliminary “mission goals” and concluding questions help get readers’ gears turning.', Julia Smith, Booklist
