Moles

These charming books in the In My Backyard series help readers get up close and personal with several common types of small North American wildlife. Large color photos capture the essence of each animal while providing a sense of intimacy and wonder at the same time. Each book begins with an action-sequence introduction, as if the reader is himself or herself actually discovering the backyard animal. The main text is simple but appealing and informative, including a good mix of basic information and fun facts about each animal. Icons at the top of each text page give a clue to its contents. Each book concludes with an activity intended to help readers synthesize some of the information in a creative way. The activity in Moles writing a story, including details about the mole protagonist's environment and character may challenge some readers, but others will be inspired. Overall, these books will encourage children and even adults to observe local wildlife with a more sophisticated, understanding eye.--Aronin, Miriam Copyright 2017 Booklist

Gr 2-4-Fairly advanced for young readers, but full of great information about backyard creatures like robins, frogs, chipmunks, and moles. Each title describes how the animal looks, the types of habitat where they proliferate, and special behaviors that set it apart. Captions offer up other interesting facts, and the photographs provide a look at the animals in a variety of settings. Each title includes a fairly simple and doable activity that expands on the information in the text, giving kids a chance to explore the concepts in more depth. VERDICT Highly recommended to update primary animal collections. © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.