Animal and Plant Survival

Children's Literature - Cynthia Levinson

This large-format, thirty-two page picture book is part of the six-book "The Science Behind" series, which is intended for reluctant readers and students who think they are not interested in science. This entry addresses such questions, raised on the cover page, as: What happens when a food chain breaks? What does survival of the fittest mean? And, if cheetahs are one of the fastest animals on earth, why are they endangered? A question such as these introduces each of the thirteen topics, and each is covered on a spread. Other topics include chameleons, ocean-bottom creatures, survival in the desert, parasites, giraffes, animal migration, omnivorous plants, rain-forest plants, bear hibernation, and animal intelligence. Each topical spread contains extensive textual information, which is presented in a variety of typefaces and broken by large, clear, colorful photographs and illustrations, as well as definitions and a list of web sites for further information. For instance, animal migration discusses migration by flight, land, and sea and incorporates maps, a photograph of caribou, definitions for "herbivores" and other words, web sites, and a sidebar on the longest-known migration by a single animal. The book concludes with an index. Reluctant scientists will find intriguing information about important, though disconnected and random, topics. Reviewer: Cynthia Levinson