How Animals Defend Themselves

Alison Mews is co-ordinator of the Centre for Instructional Services at
Memorial University of Newfoundland.

These books are a perfect choice for newly independent readers to
capitalize on their natural curiosity while honing their reading skills.

How Animals Use Their Senses begins with a brief introduction to the
five senses and includes examples of different animal senses, such as
snakes smelling with their tongues. The next five chapters are each
devoted to a sense and how various animals use it, and fascinating facts
are presented to enthrall young readers. The final chapter describes a
couple of senses that are not found in humans, such as the ability to
locate another animal by its body heat.

How Animals Defend Themselves describes camouflage and other protective
coloration, mimicry, natural poisons, and other means that animals have
to defend themselves from predators. Some, like skunks’ smelly sprays,
are familiar, but others are quite surprising, like the gecko who can
escape while its detached and still-wiggling tail distracts its enemy.

Originally published as Animal Senses (1998) and Animal Defenses
(1999), these books have been revised for the Kids Can Read series.
Designated Level 3 for children who “can read alone,” the original
vocabulary has been modified for new readers. The main concepts of each
book have also been carefully selected and adapted for simplicity.

The original excellent artwork by Pat Stephens has been modified for
the smaller format of this series, and the colours and contrasts have
been enhanced. The illustrations are realistic and dramatically increase
understanding of the concepts presented. One minor quibble in How
Animals Use Their Senses is that the picture of a red crossbill eating
does not illustrate how “birds use their feathers for feelers.”
Otherwise, the illustrative examples will have children exclaiming in
amazement, such as at how much the citrus swallowtail caterpillar
resembles a snake or the eyed hawkmoth appears to be a dreaded owl—in
both cases to foil hungry birds. Highly recommended.