Extraordinary Eyes

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8-- This book contains errors that the publisher has corrected in an errata sheet. (One hopes that librarians who purchase it will cut them out and paste them in the proper places.) In the text itself are such startling statements as ``Reptiles are the descendants of the giant dinosaurs.'' Dinosaurs, with the exception of avian descendants from some probable small Coelurosaurian line, vanished 65 million years ago, leaving no known genetic inheritors. Sinclair says, ``We can tell something about the vision of these ancient creatures since we know that like present-day reptiles they were cold-blooded and not usually active when the sun went down.'' In the light of recent discoveries, and the theories and facts presented by Bakker, Horner, and others, this statement and the one preceding cast a pall over the credibility of the rest of the information. Young readers unexposed to the advanced materials of these eminent paeleontologists will have encountered strikingly opposite viewpoints in recent juvenile titles by Patricia Lauber, Seymour Simon, Helen Roney Sattler, and others. Without diagrams of the various types of eyes, photoreceptors, and lenses described, readers will not be privy to the general set-up of these physical organs. The work is indexed, but lacks authoritative sources. The general design is quite attractive, with excellent full-color photos, an eye-catching cover, a nice balance of white space, and a graceful type font. All in all, a pretty package whose contents do not live up to the wrappings. --Patricia Manning, Eastchester Public Library, NY

Stephanie Zvirin

Though a diagram or two might have been helpful, this intriguing book is loaded with sharp, full-color photographs, many of them close-ups, that will attract browsers as well as science students. Using a comparative approach, Sinclair investigates animal sight organs, discussing compound and single-lens eyes first, then explaining eye positioning, the connection between sight and the brain, and a variety of eye adaptations that allow creatures to see in color or underwater, regenerate damaged eyes, detect motion, or see in three dimensions or in the dark. Italicized scientific terms, scattered throughout the text, are clearly explained, and the smoothly written narrative is filled with great examples--from spiders to snakes--that make the discussion lively and interesting. A book designed to help us see the natural world more clearly--through other creatures' eyes.

From Barnes & Noble

Do animals see the world differently than people do & differently from each other? This book explores the vastly important sense of sight throughout the animal kingdom, from spiders & seals to advanced primates & humans. 8 3/4" x 10 3/4". Color photos.