Review by Booklist Review
These additions to Caroline Arnold's Animals series act as a charming bridge between picture books and higher-level nonfiction. Each book includes a narrative that tells the story of young animals growing up from birth until they are ready to live on their own. The stories, related in the present tense, feel immediate and engaging. There are even occasional sound effect words, as when a polar bears leap into the water with a Splash! in A Polar Bear's World. Fact boxes on almost every spread provide interesting additional information. The plainness of the fact boxes contrasts with Arnold's beautiful but simple artwork, which cleanly captures the essence of each animal. Very basic backgrounds keep the illustrations' focus squarely on the creatures. The back matter includes a map showing where the animals live, a list of fun facts, and a short glossary all basic enough not to overwhelm younger children and those elements seem more useful than the pro forma index, list of additional books, and Internet sites. Overall, these books' perfectly balanced mix of facts, story, and pictures will hold young readers' attention and help them learn.--Aronin, Miriam Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Horn Book Review
Attractive cut-paper illustrations highlight the narrative story of a walrus pup (A Walrus' World) and two polar bear cubs (A Polar Bear's World) from birth through the first two years of life. An opening page lists basic facts about the title animal; small text boxes throughout offer information that adds background knowledge to the ongoing story. Maps are included. Reading list. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Caroline Arnold's Animals titles: A Polar Bear's World and A Walrus' World.] Copyright 2010 of The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved.
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