Wetlands Inside Out

November 1, 2014

Gr 4-6-Informative and picturesque, this comprehensive series takes readers on a tour of Earth's six major biomes, exploring their distinctive characteristics as well as the unique creatures who have made each habitat their home. Key words are highlighted via bold font and are defined in the extensive glossary while sidebars, including "Eco Up Close," which focuses on one particular inhabitant per location, provides students with a greater understanding of each environment's interdependent relationship between living and nonliving organisms. Activities and activism also play a part in the volumes, as students are encouraged to consider how ecosystems work, how they can be affected by change, and what they can do to protect these fragile systems. The lush photos of locations worldwide may inspire further investigation of the topic. Great selections.

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2014
Grades 3-5 After briefly introducing ecosystems, wetlands, and food webs, this entry in the Ecosystems Inside Out series devotes two-page spreads to types of wetlands represented by particular places. These include the Pantanal floodplain in South America, Russia's West Siberian Plain wetland, and Canada's Beverly Swamp, Delta Marsh, Burns Bog, and Hudson Bay Lowlands, as well as America's Chesapeake Bay estuary, Louisiana tidal flats and salt marshes, and Florida Everglades. Each spread includes a few paragraphs discussing the particular wetland and one species living there. A large color photo shows the site, while a smaller close-up illustrates the featured plant or animal. Though coverage of each place is scanty, the book as a whole suggests the diversity and importance of wetlands around the world, and libraries north of the border will particularly appreciate the Canadian content. Not a necessary purchase, but this will be useful for school assignments.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)