Rays

Gr 3-5-Some of the most popular species or types of sea animals are described here, covering the usual: appearance, habitat, behaviors, diet, life cycle, and population status. Clearly designed for instruction, the titles include tools to encourage close reading. One box in each of the five chapters features a specific reading skill or strategy. "Look Again" boxes ask readers to scrutinize or use a photograph, applying what they've read, while "Think About It" boxes require recall and summarization, and "Go Deeper" asks readers to use background knowledge and make comparisons. Four additional "Think About It" questions end the titles and help readers apply their reading and critical-thinking skills further. Some of the titles use this same questioning technique in the photo captions. Photos are routine and usually support the predominant text, although Beluga Whales fails to make the connection between images and captions several times. Overall, these are handsome but sedate offerings, without flashy extras. (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.