04/01/2022
PreS-Gr 1—Close-up photos of baby animals highlight this set. Simple text describes the animals' behavior in the early stages of life, with one or two sentences per page. Large fonts and double-spaced text are aimed at early readers. So is the simple text: "Fawns nurse. They drink milk from mom" (Baby Deer). Photographs show newborns and capture the early phases of growth along with behaviors such as napping and eating. Most show the animals in their natural environment, often interacting with family members. In some cases the page design, which uses extensive decorative shapes, limits the size and effectiveness of the photos. Readers never get a full view of a duck's nest in Baby Duck, for instance, nor a sense of the height of the trees inhabited by pandas in Baby Panda. VERDICT Imperfect, but acceptable choices for early nonfiction collections.
