A basic exploration of the appearance, behavior, and habitat of killer whales, Earth's deadliest dolphins. Also included is a story from folklore explaining the killer whale's creation.
March 1, 2012
Grades K-3 Providing basic information about their subjects, the books in the Amazing Animals series let the illustrations do most of the talkingand the crisply reproduced, plus-size photos that fill the page speak loud and clear. At the end, though, each book provides a revealing story about the animals in question that helps liven up the otherwise relatively dry recitation of general facts about physiology, behaviors, eating habits, habitats, and life spans. In Killer Whales, Canadian lore explains how the giant beasts came to be after a hunter used a magical knife to carve the animal from a tree. The books' easy-reading text will be a boon to both beginning and struggling readers, and the beautiful photos are inviting enough to linger over. The one-page back matter lists two websites and two books to help with further inquiry.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)
July 1, 2018
These attractive books provide basic facts about their subjects, including habitats, physical appearances, family relationships, diets, and behaviors. Spare texts in large type and bright, eye-catching photos make the information accessible to new nonfiction readers. A concluding spread features an anatomically labeled photo of the animal and a couple of close-ups of specific features. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.
(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
October 15, 2017
Preschool-G The Seedlings: Wild Animals series, geared toward introducing new readers to the animal kingdom, adds a few more creatures to its ranks. With its clear layout and solid design, each volume provides rudimentary details about each animal, including facts on habitat, diets, the young, and evolutionary adaptations. Killer Whales explains how this cold-water mammal both lives and hunts in groups. A table of contents offers chapter titles, though these headings don't appear on the pages themselves, and some volumes are more specific than others (geckos live all around the world. But no geckos live in Antarctica; whereas flamingos are only described as living by warm, salty water ). Still, the glossy photographs steal the show, showing the animals in portraits and in action, and the straightforward text is well suited to beginning readers. A final photographic spread closes each volume with a labeled diagram of the featured animal, zooming in on details like scales and feathers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)