Sharks

July 1, 2001
Gr 2-4-This serviceable series is aptly named. The books are carefully divided into typical report topics: physical characteristics, food, habitat, birth and young, species, and relationship to humans. The controlled vocabulary and sentence length, the typeface, and the page layout make them seem a bit like basal readers. The lack of variation in sentence structure gives a choppy tone but also makes information easy to harvest. Sharp, full-color photos are well placed to elucidate the text. New terms are clearly explained. Penguins has one error: the author states that the largest penguins grow to be three-and-a-half feet tall, then writes that the emperor penguin grows to be four feet tall. Not distinguished but useful for those who want "just the facts, ma'am."-Ellen Heath, Orchard School, Ridgewood, NJ

Copyright 2001 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.