Nonfiction Monday: Let's Look at Sloths and Armadillos

by Judith Jango-Cohen
Lerner Publications Company
978-0-7613-3887-1

by Janet Piehl
Lerner Publications Company
978-0-8225-7900-7

We have only one minor issue with this series,but we noticed it right off the bat. Thus far the series includes;

armadillos
bats
brown bears
earthworms
iguanas
monarch butterflies
pigeons
prairie dogs
sea otters
sharks
sloths
and snails

Notice anything conspicuously MISSING? I mean, we know they can't possibly get a series out with every animal in the world right off the bat, but - earthworms? They don't even have cute little faces like turtles do! They don't have faces!!! And pigeons? Seriously? The creature that originated the phrase "bird-brained"? A winged animal that thinks it is more expedient to try to WALK out of the way of your car in the parking lot, rather than, I don't know, FLY???

(Deep breath). Okay, we feel better now. And we do have to admit that sloths and armadillos are pretty cool, which is why we chose these two to review. Who could not love this face, after all?

Howdy!

And don't we all wish we could move slowly enough for algae to grow in our fur? Well, you know what we mean. Hang out, eat, sleep, maybe go for an occasional swim. No wonder they smile!

Armadillos, on the other hand, are cute in their own way.

especially the babies

They have cool shells like we do, like both bugs and plants like us, and we can both swim and dig. Many people forget, though, that armadillos are mammals, not reptiles - the scaly-looking skin throws them off! So, we can't quite call them cousins, but we still enjoyed reading about them.

This series is great for begining nonfiction readers, with short text in attractive fonts, big clear photographs, and extras such as a range map (we really liked those), diagrams, glossary, and further reading/web site lists. We give the series a

5 out of 5

and plan to buy the rest of the books. Especially, hint hint, if they add one on turtles.

For more great nonfiction book reviews, click over to Tales from the Rushmore Kid for Nonfiction Monday.