The Antarctic Habitat.

Janet Collins is a freelance writer in Sechelt, British Columbia.

The Introducing Habitats series presents easy-to-understand information along with eye-catching full-colour photos and illustrations. Each book also contains a glossary and index, which is important for young students using the books as reference material for reports.

Each book in the series includes information specific to the type of habitat that forms the subject of the individual volumes. Underground Habitats explains how living underground in a desert is a cool thing to do, while tunnelling under snow keeps other animals warm in colder regions of the world. Backyard Habitats introduces the homes of creatures living in the same neighbourhood as many of the readers. It also introduces the concept of how seasonal changes affect plants and animals living in those habitats. A Forest Habitat not only explains how the changing seasons affect the trees of the forest, but also shows how different animals live in different levels of the forest—in the treetops, the tree trunks, or on the forest floor. A Rainforest Habitat treats its subject similarly, but explains how the increased moisture and heat in the Amazon region creates a different type of habitat than that found in temperate rainforests.

There was one small annoyance. While repetition is a recognized aid in teaching young children, the fact that the first six pages of every book in the series contain almost identical text makes for somewhat tedious reading for all but the youngest readers if more than one volume is viewed at a time.