Reptiles

May 1, 2019

Gr 4-6-This series focuses on the diversity within a broad class of animals, rather than the concept of biodiversity within an ecosystem. General characteristics of the group are presented first, with some specific examples provided. Variations within the group are noted with generalizations ("Many birds make their nests in trees," as stated in Birds) and with some specific examples ("Condor eggs have the thickest shells"). The writing doesn't always flow smoothly, and the procession of quick facts may be challenging for some readers to follow. One paragraph, for example, starts with salamander eggs, switches to frog tadpoles, then jumps back to salamanders. Well-chosen photos display some of the variety within the groups. Some photos show animals not mentioned on the same spread, though captions provide the supporting information. VERDICT This series could serve best as a supplemental choice for larger animal collections.

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