Polar Bears

February 1, 2011

PreS-Gr 3-Newman adeptly balances photographs and text to introduce these animals to young readers. Each spread features one large photo and one or two smaller shots of the Arctic giants. Simple sentences in large print focus on the major concepts illustrated ("Polar bears are twins." "Polar Bears are not really white."). Additional information is contained in an accompanying paragraph. Consequently, the book can be shared with children of different ages and interest levels. Essential facts about physical characteristics, life cycle, habitat, survival skills, and environmental threats are included. After the main text, Newman provides additional facts about the creatures and about his approach to photographing them. While there is no shortage of material about these popular animals, this title is a solid choice for collections in need of a basic, well-designed overview of their lives in the wild.-Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato

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