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.

Nonfiction Monday (on Monday this time! Yeah us!) - reviews by Freaky

Nonfiction Monday is a chance for bloggers and readers to see what's new in the world of...well....nonfiction! We are going with some animals books today, all 3 from Lerner Publishing and each part of a series.



Personally, I think Lerner is just asking for angry e-mails with this series. They currently have titles for beagles, German shepherds, labs, Portuguese water dogs, and yorkies. That leaves a WHOLE lot of breed owners who are going to want to know why theirs wasn't first on the list! I mean, golden retrievers, hello?! Great Danes? Mutts???

That said, these are great books, judging from this one on boxers. Their personality is captured immediately:

You hear the doorbell and go to answer it. But your dog gets to the door before you. He's excited and eager to see who's there. When your guest comes in, your dog warmly welcomes him. Your pooch jumps up and plants a wet, sloppy kiss on the visitor.

Your fully grown dog has a puppy's spirit. He's always full of energy and loves being around people. You've fallen for the clown of the dog world. You have a boxer.

Many series on dog breeds turn out to be very general - they give the same advice about exercise, vet care, etc., for every dog of the same size, and just change out the pictures. This one has some very specific boxer traits and needs mentioned, such as the way they become attuned to their owners' feelings, and the fact that they can be "Velcro dogs". I was also pleased to see white boxers mentioned in a side bar - since they can't be shown (genetic predisposition to hearing issues), they make great pets. Many never get that chance, so it was good to see a little plug put in for them.



Wherever you live, you probably have pigeons around, making this an easy book for youngsters to identify with. This series, which also includes bats, brown bears, iguanas, prairie dogs and snails, is very simply writen, making it a good source for first reports. The print is huge and often makes use of color change or curved text, with no more than a paragraph or two per page. Great pictures (honestly, I would have thought it would be a challenge to find that many pictures of pigeons without them all looking the same) help make this a very visually appealing book.



As one who is more on the prey end of the animal kingdom, I personally don't see the appeal in reading about predators, but there is no denying kids love them! In addition to the leopard seals (800 pounds? I'm, like, one!) this series takes on crocodiles, eagles, foxes, sharks, grizzly bears, killer whales, mountain lions, owls, polar bears, rattlesnakes, and wolves. Okay, any one of those could eat me and not even notice.

Just look at the cover photo: people think of seals as cute little things, but there is nothing cute about those teeth! Even the one on the title page looks smug, like he just ate your uncle Fred and he's sizing you up for dessert. Yeesh. Those pictures are nothing compared to those to come, however. These are definitely books about predators, so do not expect warm, fuzzy feelings. And definitely do not give this one to a fan of penguins! Kids who like blood and gore will love these, for the pictures and the text, and will learn a lot along the way.