(3) K-3 Who Lives Here? series. Illustrated by Pat Stephens. This mini-guide to creatures of the northern forest features one animal per spread. A brief introduction, accompanied by four captioned illustrations (one large, three small), includes facts about the animal's home, diet, young, unique features and abilities, and/or survival techniques. The text provides enough detail to engage readers without overwhelming them. Uncluttered design and finely crafted realistic illustrations are strengths.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(3) K-3 Who Lives Here? series. Illustrated by Pat Stephens. This mini-guide to creatures of the savanna features one animal per spread. A brief introduction to the animal, followed by four captioned illustrations (one large, three small), includes facts about the animal's home, diet, young, unique features and abilities, and/or survival techniques. The text provides enough detail to engage readers without overwhelming them. Uncluttered design and finely crafted realistic illustrations are strengths.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(3) K-3 Who Lives Here? series. Illustrated by Pat Stephens. These books describe the animal inhabitants of two habitats. After a general introduction about the habitat, each double-page spread highlights a specific animal, providing enough detail to hold readers' interest without overwhelming them. Muted illustrations, including a large main picture on the left and three smaller ones on the right, effectively supplement and help explain the texts. Review covers these Who Lives Here? titles: Polar Animals and Rain Forest Animals.

Reviewer: Becky Levine

(3) K-3 Who Lives Here? series. Illustrated by Pat Stephens. These books describe the animal inhabitants of two habitats. After a general introduction about the habitat, each double-page spread highlights a specific animal, providing enough detail to hold readers' interest without overwhelming them. Muted illustrations, including a large main picture on the left and three smaller ones on the right, effectively supplement and help explain the texts. Review covers these Who Lives Here? titles: Polar Animals and Rain Forest Animals.

Reviewer: Becky Levine

(3) K-3 Kids Can Read series. Illustrated by Pat Stephens. Kids will love the weird facts they learn in these easy-reader adaptations of Animals in Motion and Animals Eating. After a brief introduction, Hickman describes the ways different animals interact with nature. Though the books end too abruptly, the writing includes just the right level of detail and vocabulary throughout. Realistic illustrations help readers visualize the information. Review covers these title: How Animals Eat and How Animals Move.

Reviewer: Becky Levine

(3) K-3 Kids Can Read series. Illustrated by Pat Stephens. Kids will love the weird facts they learn in these easy-reader adaptations of Animals in Motion and Animals Eating. After a brief introduction, Hickman describes the ways different animals interact with nature. Though the books end too abruptly, the writing includes just the right level of detail and vocabulary throughout. Realistic illustrations help readers visualize the information. Review covers these title: How Animals Eat and How Animals Move.

Reviewer: Becky Levine

(4) K-3 Kids Can Read series. Illustrated by Pat Stephens. These colorful, appealingly simple books explain animal defense strategies and sensory talents. Readers learn how an elephant's ears keep it cool, and how a hognose snake plays dead--dripping blood and all. Realistic painted illustrations allow for close-up examinations, and use some surprising perspectives, such as a frog's-eye-view, sure to engage young readers. Both books end too abruptly, without tying the information together. Review covers these Kids Can Read titles: How Animals Use Their Senses and How Animals Defend Themselves.

Reviewer: Elizabeth Shaver

(4) K-3 Kids Can Read series. Illustrated by Pat Stephens. These colorful, appealingly simple books explain animal defense strategies and sensory talents. Readers learn how an elephant's ears keep it cool, and how a hognose snake plays dead--dripping blood and all. Realistic painted illustrations allow for close-up examinations, and use some surprising perspectives, such as a frog's-eye-view, sure to engage young readers. Both books end too abruptly, without tying the information together. Review covers these Kids Can Read titles: How Animals Use Their Senses and How Animals Defend Themselves.

Reviewer: Elizabeth Shaver

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Pat Stephens. Divided into sections such as mammals, sea life, and insects, information about the different ways, distances, seasons, and reasons for migration are dryly detailed. Specific animals are featured in each category for a closer look at their migrating patterns. Simple experiments help to explain the hows and whys of animal behavior. Serviceable art illustrates the book. Ind.

Reviewer: Hilary Breed Van Dusen

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Pat Stephens. Defining mating as "the way animals produce more of their own kind," Hickman focuses on specific behaviors that animals use to attract mates. Stephens's eye-catching illustrations realistically depict a wide variety of animals in this solid introduction. Ind.

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Pat Stephens. This survey of animals explores the advantages of living, hunting, grooming, defending, nurturing, and migrating in groups. From elephants to monarch butterflies, mongooses to snakes, a wide variety of animals are used as examples; scattered sidebars provide more detailed information. The book's realistic color art aptly captures the behaviors discussed in the text. Ind.

Reviewer: Hilary Breed Van Dusen

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Pat Stephens. This book successfully introduces concepts related to the birth and care of young mammals and egg-bearing creatures. How young animals eat, play, and become independent is described, and scientific terms such as mammal, monotreme, marsupial, and placental are clearly explained in context. Scientifically accurate illustrations help liven up the pages. Ind.

Reviewer: Hilary Breed Van Dusen

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Pat Stephens. This book about the eating habits of a variety of animals is somewhat randomly organized in sections that focus on such topics as animal mouths and teeth, ruminants and carnivores, and hydration. Hickman's simple, clear text is enhanced by the large, detailed color illustrations. Several related activities, such as making a food-web model and replicating how a gizzard works, are included. Ind.

Reviewer: Mary R. Holt

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Pat Stephens. Suggesting how techniques of animal locomotion would feel to a person, this stimulating book is organized by six types of motion, from "swimmers and floaters" to "climbers and swingers." Boxes with bulleted lists clearly explain the featured animal's motion in most cases. Several sections include an activity, some more valuable than others. The accurate color illustrations match the text. Ind.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Pat Stephens. Kaner opens her book by asking, "What do you do when you're afraid?" Then in clear, engaging prose, she introduces animals' different defense systems (camouflage, display, trickery, imitation, symbiosis, and others) and provides examples of animals that practice each one. Realistic full-page and spot watercolor and pencil illustrations add to the book's appeal. Ind.

Reviewer: Jackie C. Horne

(4) 4-6 General information about the different adaptations of animal senses are enhanced by specific examples of common animals and creative experiments that encourage children to either explore their own senses or imagine what it would be like to have other animals' senses. The large, realistic paintings are detailed, but some of the smaller drawings do not clearly illustrate the points made in the text.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(3) K-3 Wildlife series. Illustrated by Pat Stephens. Logically organized, these books examine the habitats, physiology, diets, and behavioral traits of beavers or members of the deer family. Realistic illustrations show the animals in action in their habitats. A surprising amount of information is covered in each book, and the final pages describe signs (such as tracks and scent mounds) that will aid in spotting these animals in the wild. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Daniel Brabander

(3) K-3 Wildlife series. Illustrated by Pat Stephens. Logically organized, these books examine the habitats, physiology, diets, and behavioral traits of beavers or members of the deer family. Realistic illustrations show the animals in action in their habitats. A surprising amount of information is covered in each book, and the final pages describe signs (such as tracks and scent mounds) that will aid in spotting these animals in the wild. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Daniel Brabander