Owls

December 1, 2011
Grades 5-8 These new books in the Living Wild series have something for everyone. Stunning, full-page photographs create immediate visual interest. A brief narrative introduction sets the scene for the richer, more scientific information in the rest of the text. Cultural tidbits and even literary excerpts enliven the scientific and life-cycle information about each animal, and each book concludes with a two-page Animal Tale, which consists of a piece of folklore about the animal. Additional engaging facts stud the margins. Besides the birds' physical features, Owls explores the variety of species and the dearth of scientific studies about them. The books' back matter includes a one-page glossary, which defines boldface words in the text, plus a selected bibliography and a one-page index.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)

November 1, 2023

Gr 5-8-A first-rate animal series returns with updated editions. Each title provides a thorough, well-rounded profile of the featured animal, covering physical features, behavior, life cycles, and habitats, supported by well-chosen photographs and drawings. Historical events and popular culture tie-ins add context, along with a short folktale and poem. The writing is clear and engaging, with enough depth of information to match the curiosity of older elementary and middle school learners. Most, but not all, photographs were used in previous editions, with two-to-four new photos in each. This new set features revised layouts, redesigned range maps, and new covers to provide a nicely updated look. The text is largely unchanged, with the crucial exception of threatened status and species populations now reflecting 2020's data. VERDICT Add individual titles to cover subject holes or consider the complete set as a strong, wide-ranging update to the animal shelves in your collection.

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.