Animal Helpers: Aquariums

May 1, 2014

K-Gr 4-These three books each take a different look at the animal world. Animal Helpers looks at the many individuals that are needed to keep an aquarium running: aquarists, biologists, curators, and veterinarians. Clear, crisp photographs show the peace of the underwater world. Busy Year gives a description of beaver activities through the seasons. It has more text than the first book and includes multiple facts, making it ideal for reports for the upper end of the grade range. It has a lot of full-color photographic close-ups of beaver life, perfect for browsing. In a rhyming text, Summer Tail takes a more lighthearted look at what animals do to keep cool in the summer. Each animal baby asks its mother if humans do whatever that animal does to stay cool. For instance, squirrels lick themselves to make heat disappear from their skin. Large paintings depict the animals enacting their summer routines, while a smaller pen-and-ink sketch shows a human trying to do the same. The best thing about these books are the "For Creative Minds" sections in the back. They have a range of activities that include additional facts, matching games, and links to even more activities on the Internet.-Susan E. Murray, formerly at Glendale Public Library, AZ

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