Amphibians
- Book Review,
by Rod Theodorou
From School Library Journal
Gr 2-4-Animal young take center stage in these titles. Abbreviated texts describe major characteristics shared by all amphibians or insects, respectively, and then go on to discuss unique physical or behavioral characteristics of a half dozen or so species. A clear, full-color photograph appears on almost every page. The information provided on any one topic is minimal; most pages have only two or three sentences. As a result, there is some oversimplification. For instance, both books state in their introductions that there are six main animal groups-mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian, fish, and insect. However, this arbitrary grouping omits a number of invertebrate classes that are equally important from a scientific point of view-arachnid, annelid, mollusk, etc. In Insects, the process by which a larva outgrows its old skin and emerges with a new one is referred to as "shedding" instead of "molting," and the text fails to explain that most insects will molt several times before reaching the next stage of development. Sandra Markle's Creepy, Crawly Baby Bugs (Walker, 1996) or, on a slightly older reading level, Robert Snedden's What Is an Amphibian? (1994) and What Is an Insect? (1993, both Sierra Club) offer more detail.-Karey Wehner, San Francisco Public Library Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
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