Donkeys

November 1, 2011

Gr 3-5-Each book features full-color photographs that often capture moments in the animals' natural environment that are rarely seen by humans. The accompanying captions add enriching facts to the main texts, as seen in the close-up photo of a donkey's face. Taken from a ground-level perspective, the low angle emphasizes the size of its ears while the supporting caption reads, "A donkey's ears are large in order to help the animal hear sounds from far away." With a blend of descriptive details and historical facts, the well-organized chapters focus on everything from anatomy to habitats to special survival and communication skills; they keep readers' attention from start to finish. Color-blocked sidebars include unusual "Did You Know" facts ranging from why and when rats were first considered to be pets in the 1800s to how the donkey became the mascot of the Democratic Party to why prairie dogs are associated with the American buffalo as symbols of the American West. The appropriateness of these titles for both research and general-interest reading make them quality additions for most collections.-Cathie Bashaw Morton, Millbrook Central School District, NY

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