Terrific Tongues Up Close

July 1, 2012

Gr 1-3-These titles introduce specific body parts and discuss their unique functions. Nifty Noses looks at the star-nosed mole, an anteater, a right whale, a polar bear, an African elephant, a coho salmon, and a leaf-nosed bat. Readers are also informed that humans' noses help them to breathe in oxygen and smell cookies baking or milk that has soured. Talented Tails demonstrates the many uses of a tail by featuring a squirrel, a beaver, a spider monkey, an Eastern Diamondback rattlesnake, a great white shark, a platypus, and a blue-tailed skink. Terrific Tongues describes a skink that has a bright blue tongue to frighten predators away. Stewart also highlights an alligator snapping turtle, a green frog, a downy woodpecker, a snake, a penguin, and a cow. These well-thought-out titles are suitable for beginning readers looking for some fascinating facts, and the excellent photography will draw them into the books. There is also a guessing game at the back of each volume. Solid additions to most collections.-Cynde Suite, Bartow County Library System, Adairsville, GA

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2012
These books look at the ways animals use parts of their bodies, concluding with how humans use the same body part. Each of eight double-page spreads includes a photograph of the animal, a close-up of the featured part, and a few easy-to-read sentences about how the animal uses said body part. An appended guessing game introduces new information. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)