Prairie Food Chains

Sandy Campbell is a reference librarian in the Science and Technology Library at the University of Alberta.

Bobbie Kalman has published other books about food chains and specific
ecosystems; however, these volumes have been completely reworked and
updated, and several new ecosystems have been introduced.

Each volume follows a pattern of introducing the ecosystem, followed by
general information about food chains, then descriptions of the animals
that inhabit the three levels of the food chain in that particular
ecosystem, and finally a section on risks and conservation efforts.

Like most of Kalman’s books, these are bright, colourful, and well
produced. The series is visually united through a number of design
elements that recur throughout the volumes, including photographs that
extend into white space, a common typeface, a top border of recurring
motifs, and dots surrounding each photograph or sidebar.

The text is informative and age-appropriate. Because each book is
dedicated to a specific ecosystem, the content is quite detailed. For
example, in Desert Food Chains we learn about cacti as adapted plants,
bighorn sheep as browsing animals, bobcats as carnivores, and black
vultures as carrion eaters. In Coral Reef Food Chains, we find similar
information, but the creatures described are corals, manatee, butterfly
fish, and sea anemones.

These books will be a good addition to school libraries in support of
the “food chains” part of the elementary science curriculum. All of
the volumes have a glossary and an index to support classroom use.
Highly recommended.