Musk Oxen (Animal Prey)

Kindergarten-Grade 4—Markle knows how to find just the right balance of facts for her intended audience and has selected stunning, full-color photographs to complement her texts. The focus of these books is on how the animals deal with predators. Musk Oxen is the only one in which they are actually being eaten, though there are no gory illustrations. Their defenses include the circling herd protection and wicked horns. Even still, a pack of wolves can cull out a young or weak herd member and concentrate their efforts. More emphasis here is on the bulls fighting bulls for dominance and mating rights. In Octopuses, readers are shown how an animal can be both predator and prey. The octopus can hide in "plain sight," squirt ink, paralyze with saliva, or forfeit a tentacle to escape predators in the sea. In the third book, readers are immediately drawn in by the opening shot of a lion towering over two nonchalant Old World porcupines. The animals' food, habitats, mating, and mothering habits are portrayed, but the essence of the text is in its descriptions of their escape from danger and use of their quills. Each book has a motivating "Looking Back" section in which children are challenged to reexamine a photograph on a certain page to find still another feature that the animal has for adaptation. These books offer an outstanding combination of fascinating texts and informative, appealing photos.—Debbie Whitbeck, West Ottawa Public Schools, Holland, MI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.