Eschewing the cluttered approach, these books alternate a single page of text with a bright full-page color photograph. The close-up photos are intriguing and present clear views of the animals. The texts are simple and flat, occasionally using a few too many exclamation points. Instead of providing additional information, the captions simply repeat a line from the text. Glos., ind. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

K-Gr 2‘Komodo dragons are not the "dragons" that their name implies, but instead are giant lizards that grow up to 10 feet long, weigh 250 pounds, and live in the Komodo Island area of Indonesia. They are predators, they spend a lot of time in burrows escaping the heat, and their babies are self-sufficient from the moment they hatch. They are also quite rare and in peril due to loss of habitat. All of this and a great deal more is presented in this easy-to-read book. The full-page, full-color photos dramatically illustrate the lives of these unusual creatures. However, the captions in some cases only repeat what is already stated in the text and in others do not accurately describe what the photo shows. The print is large and vocabulary easy to understand and follow. A handful of words in bold type, such as "reptiles" and "cold-blooded," are explained in a glossary. An adequate book on a subject on which little information is available for this age group.‘Helen Rosenberg, St. Scholastica High School, Chicago, IL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.