Bison

November 1, 2011

Gr 5-7-At first glance, these books appear to be for a young audience. However, by page 10, they get a lot meatier in tone and content. Each one offers a population map and an array of interesting facts. Photography is large and beautiful-a real draw. Extensive indexes, glossaries, and even animal folklore round out each title. There are quite a few books on these subjects, mostly for younger audiences. These are worthwhile additions for research and browsing.-Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2011
Grades 5-8 These new books in the Living Wild series have something for everyone. Stunning, full-page photographs create immediate visual interest. A brief narrative introduction sets the scene for the richer, more scientific information in the rest of the text. Cultural tidbits and even literary excerpts enliven the scientific and life-cycle information about each animal, and each book concludes with a two-page Animal Tale, which consists of a piece of folklore about the animal. Additional engaging facts stud the margins. Bison goes into detail about the different species and their adaptation to and role in their environment, as well as their cultural significance to Native Americans and as a symbol of the American West. The books' back matter includes a one-page glossary, which defines boldface words in the text, plus a selected bibliography and a one-page index.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)