Kangaroo Magic for Kids

From The Critics

Told by a fourth grader, this is a great story about marsupials. As a zookeeper who works with kangaroos, I learned some new information myself. For instance, did you know that kangaroo molars will regrow up to sixteen times if these teeth fall out! Great pictures and illustrations shed light on all the various species of kangaroos. This can be a great resource for a research paper or report. Metric conversion and phonetic spelling help the reader with the text. A glossary and a list of other resources is included. Part of the "Animal Magic for Kids" series. 2000, Gareth Stevens Publishing, $16.95. Ages 8 to 12. Reviewer: N. Boyd SOURCE: Parent Council Volume 8

Children's Literature - Children's Literature

Kangaroos are exotic and different from most animals. With a combination of colored pencil illustrations, photographs and a conversational text, kids are introduced to this marsupial. These mammals carry their young in a pouch. Lehne describes the physical characteristics and behavior of different varieties of kangaroos and offers plenty of good information for students writing reports or anyone planning a visit to Australia. The illustrations offer a bit of humor, as does the text. Among the amazing facts are the origin of the name kangaroo, the size of a kangaroo at birth and the fact that a mother kangaroo can have a joey-at-foot, a newborn joey-in-the-pouch, and another waiting inside her body. Unfortunately for student researchers there is no index, so they will have to create one or take careful notes. Also, the books listed in the mini reading list have no publication dates. There is a short glossary, and the inclusion of a few web sites and videos. 2000 (orig. 1997), Gareth Stevens, Ages 8 up, $22.60. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot