(4) K-3 Amazing Animal Adventures series. Illustrated by Alan Male & Alan Male. A mother crocodile takes her babies to the river to hunt for food. In addition to introducing readers to the behavior and habitat of young Nile crocodiles, the meandering story and detailed color illustrations include mention of other animals found in the Luangwa River in an unnamed southern African country. A foldout depicts the crocodile's habitat and includes a pictorial glossary.

Reviewer: Jim St. Claire

(4) K-3 Amazing Animal Adventures series. Illustrated by Donald G. Eberhart & Donald G. Eberhart. These newly titled books introduce readers to the behavior and habitat of three young animals: a grizzly in the Pacific Northwest rainforest, a giant panda in China, and a southeast Asian Bengal tiger. The meandering stories and detailed illustrations include mention of other animals found in the specific habitats. An appended foldout depicts the animals in their natural habitats and includes a pictorial glossary. [Review covers these Amazing Animal Adventures titles: Grizzly Bear Family, A Home for Panda, and A Tiger Tale.]

Reviewer: Jim St. Claire

(4) K-3 Smithsonian's Backyard series. Illustrated by Higgins Bond. Groundhog leaves his mother and siblings and digs his own burrow nearby. The illustrations feature a realistically rendered creature exploring a suburban backyard and garden, eating beans, encountering the family dog, and defending himself. The text sticks with the animal's point of view, but the illustrations take a few missteps.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(4) K-3 Amazing Animal Adventures series. Illustrated by Jim Effler. These newly titled books introduce readers to the behavior and habitat of three young animals: a grizzly in the Pacific Northwest rainforest, a giant panda in China, and a southeast Asian Bengal tiger. The meandering stories and detailed illustrations include mention of other animals found in the specific habitats. An appended foldout depicts the animals in their natural habitats and includes a pictorial glossary. [Review covers these Amazing Animal Adventures titles: Grizzly Bear Family, A Home for Panda, and A Tiger Tale.]

Reviewer: Jim St. Claire

(4) K-3 Amazing Animal Adventures series. Illustrated by Paul Kratter. These newly titled books introduce readers to the behavior and habitat of three young animals: a grizzly in the Pacific Northwest rainforest, a giant panda in China, and a southeast Asian Bengal tiger. The meandering stories and detailed illustrations include mention of other animals found in the specific habitats. An appended foldout depicts the animals in their natural habitats and includes a pictorial glossary. [Review covers these Amazing Animal Adventures titles: Grizzly Bear Family, A Home for Panda, and A Tiger Tale.]

Reviewer: Jim St. Claire

(3) K-3 Smithsonian Oceanic Collection series. Illustrated by Steven James Petruccio & Steven James Petruccio. A typical day for a puffer fish of the Galápagos Islands is portrayed in a straightforward text and panoramic underwater illustrations. Facts about the puffer fish's habits, predators, and symbiotic relationships (such as with rainbow wrasses) add interest. Unfamiliar words are explained in a short glossary.

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Robert Lawson. In this fictionalized approach, readers accompany a sea otter pup through his first several months of life. The narrative teaches readers what and how sea otters eat and where they live. The new detailed art includes close-up images of mother and pup that are a little too cartoony and cutesy for the realistic story. Glos.

Reviewer: Hilary Breed Van Dusen

(3) K-3 Smithsonian's Backyard series. Illustrated by Kristin Kest. In this factual story of a bullfrog, readers learn about its predator and prey relationships, as well as mating rituals. Moths, herons, raccoons, and other frogs all play a role in Bullfrog's drama, while the illustrations lend warmth to the topic. Additional information about these amphibians is appended. Glos.

Reviewer: Jim St. Claire

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Gredna Landolt. Life in a traditional Andean village is depicted in a folkloric style as Carolina searches the market for the perfect gift for her abuelita. The colorful clothing of the village families, the items at the market, and the white-washed houses are shown in great detail. The simple, abruptly ending story includes Spanish and Quechua words, listed at the back of the book. Map.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Michael Denman & William Huiett. Striving for accuracy within a story format, this occasionally anthropomorphic picture book with richly detailed paintings tells the story of a newly born guanaco and follows his activities through his first year of life. The seasons and the habitat of the Chilean region of Patagonia are the subtext here, and a picture glossary provides names for the many animals shown in the lush double-page spreads.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Higgins Bond. A leisurely paced narrative follows a young bighorn sheep in the Rocky Mountains from birth through his first year and includes many narrow escapes from predators. The illustrations are somewhat awkward but realistic and detailed. Appended are an illustrated glossary and a foldout panorama, which readers can search for flora and fauna from the story.

Reviewer: Jim St. Claire

(3) K-3 Smithsonian's Backyard series. Illustrated by Christopher Leeper. A factual text presents River Otter's life from spring to fall, including the growth and development of her cubs. Scenic double-page-spread illustrations enhance the simple text, and a note about river otters and identification of other animals appearing in the illustrations offers additional information. A good picture book introduction to the life and habits of river otters. Glos.

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Shawn Gould. Simple but rounded sentences tell about a day in the life of Mama Whale, her calf, and the pod to which they belong. From geography to echolocation, details are refreshingly accurate, and the tension of the killer whale's approach is both natural and, for a child reader, manageable. Detailed paintings on an aqua-sea background bleed off the pages. A short afterword about sperm whales is appended. Glos.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by James McKinnon. An account of a day in the life of a mother koala and her joey is used as a means to explore the flora and fauna of an Australian eucalyptus forest. The reader comes to see the forest's elaborate web of predators and prey from a koala's point of view. Clear illustrations and a picture glossary at the back make it easy to identify the animals described in the text.

Reviewer: Jim St. Claire

(4) K-3 Smithsonian's Backyard series. Illustrated by Stephen Marchesi. Framed as a story but lacking narrative vigor, this text describes a box turtle's day as she looks for food, takes refuge from the midday sun, finds a safe nesting spot, and lays her eggs. The accompanying illustrations are awash with painterly texture, realistic detail, and rich earth tones. Additional facts about box turtles are appended. Glos.

Reviewer: Erica L. Stahler

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Paul Kratter. During the course of a single day, a female snow leopard attempts to catch a variety of prey. Told from the young snow leopard's point of view, the detailed text manages to introduce many aspects of the Himalayan ecosystem. Accurate, realistic illustrations and a picture glossary at the back present a clear view of the flora and fauna of the Himalayas.

Reviewer: Jim St. Claire

(3) K-3 Smithsonian Oceanic Collection series. Illustrated by Steven James Petruccio. A male seahorse mates with a female and cares for the fertilized eggs in his pouch until they hatch into baby seahorses. As the seahorse avoids predators and searches for food, a wide variety of other ocean creatures are introduced. The clearly written text is accompanied by panoramic illustrations that vividly portray the creatures found in a tropical reef. Glos.

Reviewer: Jim St. Claire

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Wes Siegrist. In unsentimental prose this book follows two one-year-old Florida panther kittens as they roam their territory and hunt on their own for the first time. The book's strengths are its immediacy and snapshot detailing of the sights and sounds of the habitat; less successful are the stiff watercolor illustrations. A double-foldout spread cataloging the plants, insects, and animals that share the cypress forest is appended.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Donald G. Eberhart. Set in the Koeye River Valley rainforest in British Columbia, this story begins during a grizzly bear's winter hibernation with newborn cubs and follows them throughout the year. While mention of other animals and plants is woven into the text without too much distraction, the realistic illustrations are often crowded with animals in unnatural proximity to each other. A note about the Pacific rainforest and a pictorial glossary are included.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(3) K-3 Smithsonian's Backyard series. Illustrated by Kristin Kest. In spring a bumblebee emerges from hibernation and finds a nest. Continuing with how bumblebees collect food and how the young larvae develop, the story sustains a natural narration without resorting to anthropomorphism. Large, smoothly executed bee's-eye paintings from both outside and inside the hive follow the action of the story. A note "about the bumblebee" adds context. Glos.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam