Amazing reptiles and amphibians

Gr 3-5-These colorful, compact introductions have straightforward, easily accessible texts. Each spread has an introductory paragraph, several short blocks of text, and three or four sharp, color photographs. The two-page chapters describe the animals' common physical and behavioral characteristics, habitats, diets, and typical life cycles, and give more detail on seven representatives of the group. Each title also includes a world map, color coded to indicate habitats, and one or two sidebars per section. All four books are concise and well organized. Each section has a well-varied layout, with eye-catching arrangements of text and photos-some images resemble puzzle pieces, while others are set within circles, trapezoids, etc. Greg Pyers's "Classifying Animals" series (Raintree) offers similar information on life cycles, but each book usually includes just one animal's development as an example. By focusing on multiple creatures, these volumes impart a better idea of the remarkable diversity among taxonomic classes.-Karey Wehner, formerly at San Francisco Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.