The Poles

Nancy W. Dixon is an elementary-school English teacher with the
Ottawa-Carleton District School Board.

True to the series name, these 9– by 12–inch volumes literally
unfold, allowing the reader to explore the plants, animals, and
particular habitats of the natural world.

The Tropical Rainforest is divided into two separate but linked
habitats: “Swamplands,” with sections on The Estuary, Wetlands,
Marsh Land, Forest Edge; and “Rainforest,” with sections on the
Upper Canopy, Lower Canopy, Understory, and Forest Floor. The Poles is
divided into two habitats: “The Antarctic,” with sections on the
Continent, Pack Ice, Antarctic Islands, Oceanic Islands; and “The
Arctic,” with sections on the Polar Desert, The Tundra, Coastlands,
Oceans and Seas.

The design for both books is original and intricate. The introduction
to each of the four main habitats folds out to reveal a colorful, highly
detailed, four-page “mural” depicting the particular habitat. Next
follows “a close-up view of the animals and plants from the fold-out
analyzed one section (i.e., Antarctic Islands) at a time.” A key to
each fold-out identifies up to 75 different plants and animals from the
mural. Words appearing in bold type throughout the text are defined in a
comprehensive glossary.

These books, with their unique design and wealth of information, offer
readers something “yet-to-be-discovered” at every turn of the page.
Highly recommended.