Bookworms
Children's Book Reviews
Animals
Animals
by
Kate Marley
PICTURE BOOKS
Pi-Shu by John Butler. c 2001, Peachtree.
This beautifully illustrated story about a little panda is an excellent introduction to
very young listeners about one of the most endangered and most appealing of
Earth’s mammals.
Bug Faces by Darlyne A. Murawski. c 2000, National Geographic.
Stunning close-up photography by the author is the best part of this fascinating
look at some interesting insects. Some are pretty common, and it’s neat to find
out that grasshoppers have five eyes, that mosquitos drink nectar, and moths
smell with their antennae.
Clever Cat by Peter Collington. c 2000, Knopf.
As the cat of a busy family, Tibs seems to spend a lot of time waiting…waiting to
be fed, waiting to be let inside, and so on. One day Tibs has had it, and dishes
up his own cat food. Amazed by his cleverness, his family rewards each new
step of his independence with a house key, then a bank card…until Tibs reaches
full circle with a hilarious ending. Clever illustrations are by the author.
TRANSITIONAL BOOKS
Spiderology by Michael Elsohn Ross. c 2000, Carolrhoda Books.
An interesting book, filled with all sorts of facts and pictures about spiders sure to
attract kids. Activities, experiments and an index are also included.
Ribbiting Tales
Lucky Lizard by Ellen A. Kelley. c 2000, Dutton.
Bima is a lucky lizard – his owner, eight year old Todd, treats him well, and the
rest of the human family are OK too. But when Todd starts to believe that Bima is
his lucky charm as well, Bima knows he has to find a way to get Todd to believe
in himself instead. Told from Bima’s point of view, this neat little novel has lots of
lizard lore scattered throughout, as well as funny pictures by Baltimore artist
Kevin O’Malley.
FOR OLDER READERS
Ribbiting Tales edited by Nancy Springer. c 2000, Philomel.
Here’s a great colleciton of original stories about frogs, by such noted authors as
Bruce Coville, Jane Yolen, and Brian Jacques. Mostly humerous, sometimes
thoughtful, and always entertaining, it’s enhanced by black and white drawings
by Tony DiTerlizzi.
Chomps, Flea, and Gray Cat (That’s Me!) by Carol and Bill Wallace. c 2001,
Simon & Schuster.
Mr. Beans by Dayton O. Hyde. c 2000, Boyds Mills Press.
All contents © 2000, Kate Marley. All rights reserved.
