Five-Minute True Stories

November 1, 2016

Gr 2-5-Warm and fuzzy tales paired with equally squee-worthy photos provide a gentle read for animal lovers. The 12 vignettes describe unlikely friendships among animals, such as a lion, tiger, and bear raised together, or a dog and her "pet" guinea pigs. Each section introduces the creatures and discusses how they met, what they like to do together, and what their friendship can teach humans about our own relationships. The book itself is kid-friendly in design, with big type and brightly colored pages. The photographs are large, although some are a bit blurry. The conversational and enthusiastic tone makes it easy to follow each story. However, excessive exclamation points and the glossing over of heavier issues (e.g., animals in captivity, irresponsible owners) might distract discerning readers. The title guarantees that these are true accounts, but no sources are listed. VERDICT Purchase where lightweight short stories about cute animals are in high demand.-Elissa Cooper, Helen Plum Memorial Library, Lombard, IL

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