Something about the fierce lion, with his flowing mane, continues to captivate people of all ages. Some readers may be surprised to find out that in a lion pride, it is the females that do most of the hunting. Accessible text and colorful photographs explore the inner workings of some amazing lion prides.
April 1, 2013
Gr 2-4-These deceptively slim volumes are packed with information that will be a boon to report writers, attractive to browsers, and fill that high interest/low vocabulary need. The conversational style and lively descriptions of the sophisticated behaviors of these cooperative animal groups should have readers requesting the entire series. The single spread chapters cover the main points in an introductory paragraph, followed by a paragraph in a different colored font that elaborates on them. Sidebars contain interesting facts, such as "Some ants can make living bridges with their bodies" and "Coyotes are great hunters because the can chase prey quickly." A shortcoming would be that occasionally the color photographs are blurry and sometimes not specifically labeled. The "Further Readings" section at the back of each title suggests current books, and the website section refers to a frequently updated site. Glossary words ("tactics," "reserves," "echolocation," etc.) are in a bold font throughout the texts.
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