Welcome to the World of Octopuses

Anne Hutchings, a former elementary-school teacher-librarian with the
Durham Board of Education, is an educational consultant.

Welcome to the World of Octopuses and Welcome to the World of Rabbits
and Hares are welcome additions to acclaimed nature writer Diane
Swanson’s excellent series. (Animals featured in earlier volumes
include bats, eagles, foxes, owls, raccoons, and wild cats.)

Young readers will find that the large, easy-to-read print, short
chapters, and outstanding color photographs make the books both
appealing and accessible. Moreover, Swanson does not “talk down” to
her audience. The sophistication of the vocabulary and the wealth of
information included about the lives and habits of each creature will
hold the attention of older students as well.

Each chapter is introduced by a full-page, color photograph. Captions
in bold type, along with the “fast facts” sidebars that conclude
each chapter, provide related and interesting details about the featured
animal. For example, Welcome to the World of Rabbits and Hares includes
an Irish folk tale that explains why these animals have short tails; and
Welcome to the World of Octopuses tells us that octopuses easily
recognize people they know, even those wearing diving masks and gear.

The consistently high quality of both text and illustration make these
books first-choice purchases for public, school, and home libraries.
Highly recommended.