Animal Homes

Pat Galloway, formerly the resource librarian at the Toronto & District
Parent Co-operative Preschool Corporation, is currently with the
Scarborough Public Library.

These two additions to Bobbie Kalman’s collection of informative
nonfiction books for primary to junior readers are made accessible by
their bright photographs; bold, enticing layouts; and short,
well-constructed sentences.

Animal Homes show how animals use the resources available in their
environments to create places of safety and comfort for themselves and
their young. Children will be amazed at the diversity of animal
habitats, from caterpillar tents to rabbit warrens, and the ingenuity
displayed in their construction. Color illustrations offer an “inside
look” at such marine or subterranean dwellings as beaver dams and
prairie dog towns. This book offers children intriguing proof that even
animals in the wild need a “home sweet home.”

Bears gives the cuddly ideal a real face, introducing young readers to
the basics of black bears, brown bears, grizzly bears, polar bears,
panda bears, and even exotic moon and spectacled bears. This vivid and
engaging book delivers details on bear habitats, food, and hibernation.

Both books have easy-to-use indexes and glossaries that help readers
digest such sophisticated terms as “plantigrade” and
“hibernation.” Highly recommended.