Prickly and Smooth

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2This series emphasizes diversity in the animal world and shows how physical characteristics affect behavior and survival. Two animals that are opposite in some way are featured in each title; elephant and ant in Big and Small, crab and octopus in Hard and Soft, porcupine and tortoise in Prickly and Smooth, and shrew and giraffe in Short and Tall. Identical in format, each book uses illustrations in introductory and closing pages, while full-color photographs support the main text. Throughout each title, one animal is shown on the left-hand page with the "opposite" on the right. While this allows for direct comparison, emerging readers may find it difficult to remain focused on the original concept. Short, simple sentences in large type against an open background make the volumes visually appealing. However, some of the illustrations are confusing. In Big and Small, the introductory page shows a worm that is longer than an elephant. The concept of size relationships is easier to identify in the high-quality photographs that have backgrounds as reference points. Hard and Soft is the strongest of the entries because it compares two sea animals. In Prickly and Smooth, the choice of a tortoise may have young children struggling to define smooth, as a tortoise's shell appears rather bumpy. Although they offer an interesting combination of concepts and facts, these rather uneven presentations will require adult assistance to reach their potential.Diane Nunn, Richard E. Byrd Elementary School, Glen Rock, NJ