The Horn Book Guide

SCIENCE

Holub, Joan

Why Do Snakes Hiss?: And Other Questions about Snakes, Lizards, and Turtles

48 pp. | Dial | September, 2004 | Trade ISBN 0-8037-3000-4 $14.99 | Paper ISBN 0-14-240105-6 $3.99

(4) K-3 Dial Easy-to-Read series. Illustrated by Anna DiVito. Questions about snakes, lizards, and turtles (e.g., "How do snakes move?" "How well can turtles see, hear, and smell?") are answered in a simply written text accompanied by clear color photos. Unfortunately, DiVito's illustrations hurt the volume's scientific integrity: she gives the animals near-human facial expressions and, in one instance, gives a photo of a lizard a cartoony insect-catching tongue.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta