Overview
Based on the award-winning BBC series!The Earth's habitats range from the icy polar regions, where temperatures never rise above the freezing point, to bone-dry deserts where rain never falls. Some of these habitats are kinder than others.
Yet even the harshest environments have something to offer-and if there is any benefit to be had, an animal will learn how to take advantage of it. From the biggest to the smallest, these animals make up the tapestry of life we see around us.
Synopsis
The Earth's habitats range from the icy polar regions, where temperatures never rise above the freezing point, to bone-dry deserts where rain never falls. Some of these habitats are kinder than others.
Yet even the harshest environments have something to offer-and if there is any benefit to be had, an animal will learn how to take advantage of it. From the biggest to the smallest, these animals make up the tapestry of life we see around us.
Children's Literature
Bright photographs show examples of large and small animals in their natural, varied habitats. Animal life is shown to adapt to various physical challenges posed by the diverse environments, including mountains, ocean depths and shallows, fresh water, deserts, ice worlds, plains, jungles, caves, and seasonal forests. Each two-page spread has a large and a small animal, a general paragraph, a box with interesting facts, and a quiz with answers printed upside down. For deserts, a lion is shown opposite a locust. "The lion can't come close to matching the appetite of the desert locust," readers learn. The fact box relates that "[l]ions are also called Kings of the Jungle.' This is an odd nickname, since lions are found in just about every habitat except jungles!" The quiz asks how fast a charging lion can run and gives four choices. Four other desert animals are included. The end page lists actions people can do to preserve our world. The sharp pictures with small bites of information will attract curious kids. Reviewer: Carlee Hallman