(2) K-3 Giggle and Learn series. In this fifth entry in the Giggle and Learn series of nonfiction early-reader comics (most recently, Snails Are Just My Speed, rev. 7/18), two peppy young people investigate ants' amazingness. After magically shrinking down for an insect's-eye view, the girl observes ants as they use their four strongest senses to communicate (by touch), listen (through their legs), sniff out food (using their antennae; scout ants' bums leave a "smell trail" leading to food), and then share it...by vomiting into one another's mouths ("Looks like they're K.I.S.S.I.N.G!" says the boy; "Um..." says the girl). The acrylic and gouache illustrations, painted on brown paper bags and using subdued nature hues, give the children--and the ants--plenty of personality. Simple labeled diagrams depict scientific concepts such as anatomy, life cycle, colony structure, and cooperative work. One memorable page shows a thousand black ants working in concert; at the bottom of the page (and the next and the next), a line of leaf-cutter ants marches by. Facing pages close to the end of the book show "What Ants Eat" and "What Eats Ants"; with a page-turn, anteaters get their own say, including humorous speech-bubble dialogue: "Why don't we ever order pizza?" "We're anteaters!" "Okay. How about pizza with extra ants?"

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2020

(2) K-3 Giggle and Learn series. McCloskey tackles the subject of snails (including plenty of talk about mucus--"YUCK!") in this early-reader-comics series entry. Facts are shared about snail species, sizes, habitats, and behavior. The acrylic illustrations are sometimes realistic, sometimes humorous. The omniscient, informational text is presented in all-caps while human characters and other animals react to the details through lighthearted, speech-bubbled side conversations.

Reviewer: Elisa Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2018

(3) K-3 Giggle and Learn series. In this interesting (if not comprehensive) introduction, two children explain a few fish features and idiosyncrasies. The comics format should appeal to visual learners. The child-friendly illustrations in acrylic and gouache particularly shine in the more thorough story of goldfish, shifting styles as that species travels in time from ancient China to medieval Europe to present-day fish tanks.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(3) K-3 Giggle and Learn series. A man on a park bench complains to his companion about "rats with wings," and a group of kids in pigeon costumes shows up to teach the two grownups that "there's more to pigeons than poop!" Comics-style illustrations with speech balloons convey basic facts about pigeon anatomy, behavior, and related history (including the fact that Picasso loved pigeons). The soft-colored acrylic and gouache illustrations offer an engaging, quirky introduction.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(3) K-3 Giggle and Learn series. McCloskey provides basic information about worm behavior, anatomy, and, implicitly, predators (a bluebird keeps trying to "have lunch" with a worm) in a humorous, engaging-to-kids way. The text appears mostly in speech bubbles among the worm, the bird, and four children curious about their underground friends. Saturated acrylic and gouache illustrations are on recycled paper bags, perfect for the earthy subject matter.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz