Jumpers

School Library Journal

Gr 3-6-Each volume in this set presents a countdown of 10 animals selected because they exemplify the characteristic noted in the book's title. The commentary sounds like that offered on extreme-sports television shows, with a breathless, "gee whiz" quality. Of the four pages devoted to photos of and information about each featured animal, at least a paragraph or two draws parallels with humans. Sometimes these digressions take up nearly as much space as the writing about the animal. For example, the entry on the eagle, contender number six in Strength, also talks about the Starlifter freight plane and the production of adrenaline in humans. In Thinkers, Albert Einstein rates a paragraph in the discussion of snow monkeys' problem-solving capabilities. The book with the highest potential gross-out appeal is Births, with its photographs of a queen naked mole rat, tapeworms in jars, and the giant termite queen, and discussions of topics such as the kiwi's ability to lay enormous eggs. Don't expect these titles to offer much curriculum support or serve as report resources. Consider purchase where there is extreme need for titles that attract browsers or reluctant readers.-Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.