Snakes (Kids Can Press Wildlife Series) - Hardcover

Adrienne Mason is an educator and author whose books include Owls, Snakes, Move It! and Touch It! She lives in Tofino, British Columbia.

Grade 2-4–A straightforward, if bland, text offers basic information on the legless reptiles' general anatomy, habitats, diets, hunting and feeding techniques, defense mechanisms, egg-laying and birth of young, and usefulness to humans. Most of the short paragraphs of text are set on backgrounds of realistic watercolor paintings depicting one or more representative snakes in natural settings. In some sections, one or two smaller pictures of different species or details of anatomy are overlaid on the main illustrations. A few cross-sections show the creatures' internal organs or other body parts (e.g., Jacobson's organ, jawbone, liver, stomach, etc.). In all, close to three dozen species are depicted. Captions identify species by common names. "Snake Fact" boxes appear in most sections with miscellaneous information. Although competently written and attractively illustrated, this title offers nothing, in either style or content, that distinguishes it from the many other introductions to the subject already available.– Karey Wehner, formerly at San Francisco Public Library
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