Reptiles

School Library Journal

ea. vol: 57p. diags. (History of Life on Earth Series). CIP. Facts on File. 1987. PSm $12.95. Gr 8 Up The masses of bright color drawings and diagrams that appear in these two titles will attract many readers; however, the disorganized, difficult-to- read texts will frustrate all but the most dedicated science students. Each book examines the evolution of a major animal class in detail. Amphibians examines the physical adaptations that enabled ancient fish species to move from one body of water to another, walking for short dis tances on land. Reptiles examines adap tations that enabled amphibians to leave the water permanently and survive on land. Both titles discuss the anatomical features of numerous species of ancient animals and compare them with their probable descendants. Detailed, well-ex ecuted drawings of species described il lustrate each section; diagrams of the skeletal structures and internal organs of several are included. Both of these titles are flawed by poor organization. Chap ters jump back and forth between past and present. The texts are hard to read because print is small, the sentence structure is complex, the vocabulary (for those without a strong background in sci ence) is difficult, and there is no glossa ry. Frequently scientific concepts are only partially explained; for further infor mation readers are referred to previous volumes in the series. One good refer ence title covering similar material is Di agram Group's The Field Guide to Pre historic Life (Facts on File, 1986). Although aimed at young adults, this well organized book has an accessible, easy-to-read text. Karey Wehner, San Francisco Public Library