Red Pandas

November 1, 2015

K-Gr 2-Basic facts and easy-to-read text are the key features of these animal introductions. Each spread contains a page with one or two short sentences of text that faces a large photograph and occasional insets. Topics covered include habitat, physical features, diet, and life cycles. Only Cranes mentions predators. Facts are clear and accurate, but the straightforward narrative is low on excitement. Readers learn that platypuses lay eggs, for instance, but nothing about how rare that is among mammals. Photographs provide some measure of excitement to supplement the text, such as an image of dancing cranes and one of a baby sloth hanging from a tree. In some cases, though, the visuals don't support the specific facts especially well. VERDICT The consistent, if unexciting, structure makes this series a good fit for beginning readers hoping to digest introductory data, but they will need to look elsewhere for more engaging treatments of these highly interesting animals.

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