River Beds

August 1, 2008
Some mammals burrow into the earth to sleep, but others takes their rests near or in water.Children follow a boy in a rowboat as he makes his way around the world, visiting animals who dream by a stream. The visualdevice of the boy adds child appeal, but the real stars here are the animals themselves: a beaver in his lodge;a capybara, the worlds largest rodent, asleep on a mat of grass near the Amazon River; a water vole slipping through the underwaterentrance to its grassy den. Then there are the mammals that live in the water, such as Indias river dolphin. Softly colored illustrationscapture the feel of evening, matching the gentle yet informative tone of the text. Teachers and parents will like the back matter, which includes activities linked to a rivers map anda game that asks readers to link pictures of animals with their descriptions (not always easy to do).Additional activities are available at the publishers Web site.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)