Salamander, Frog, and Polliwog

November 1, 2012

Gr 1-3-Those CATegorical felines are back. This time they turn their attention to the characteristics of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds, insects, and fish. The energetic rhyming text and zany cartoon illustrations will captivate students and make it fun to learn about what makes each group distinctive. Goneau's cartoon creatures nicely complement the facts that Cleary imparts in his rhythmic narrative, and in several cases, labels are included in the illustrations to reinforce a point. Each volume concludes with two pages summarizing the key characteristics of the animal class under discussion. Solid additions to the series.

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2013
These books give light, rhyming overviews of the defining features of reptiles and amphibians and examples of different species. Packing scientific facts into frantic verse results in some awkward lines; fortunately, the last spread's bulleted summary provides a short, clear recap. Colorful cartoon illustrations of goofy-looking creatures are busy, but they occasionally sneak in very basic diagrams or labels to aid comprehension.

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)