Review by Booklist Review
Beautiful color photographs combine with engaging text in this fine title in the Our Wild World series. Introductory chapters explain the physical science that forms mountains and their weather. Each subsequent chapter zeros in on different mountain habitats (rivers and lakes, meadows and forests, and so on), introducing facts about the animals and plants in each. The authors, lifelong nature writers and photographers, write in vivid, clear prose that, together with the quality of the beautiful images, sets this title apart from other series books on the topic. Readers are encouraged to engage their senses; the description of the ponderosa pine, for example, notes that when the thick bark is sun warmed, it smells like butterscotch. Also enhancing the text are exciting first-person accounts of wildlife encounters and in-set facts. Web sites (no books) are appended. A good choice for classroom use or for independent research and browsing. --Gillian Engberg Copyright 2006 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 6-9-Combining personal incidents with expository writing and magnificent full-color photographs, Lynch introduces two ecosystems. In the first book, he describes an encounter with a prairie rattler inches away from his hand and, in the second, he is nearly charged by an elk. However, the real focus of the books is to show the interconnectedness of climate, soil, plants, and animals, and the intricate adaptations of living things to their surroundings. The books are divided into sections that describe specific environments, such as grasslands, wetlands, and badlands in Grasslands and alpine tundra and montane meadows and forests in Mountains. Each book is further subdivided by representative species, giving fascinating facts about the adaptations of specific plants and animals. The author explains the important role of wetlands and forest corridors to the survival of the wildlife of the prairie, and the role of avalanches in making way for nutritious plants for wildlife such as grasses, berry bushes, and alders. "ECO-Facts," "ECO-Alerts," and historical notes about humans in the environment appear throughout. Excellent selections.-Judith V. Lechner, Auburn University, AL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Six chapters cover the history, geography, climate, ecology, terrain, flora, and fauna of the grasslands and the mountains. Stunning close-up photographs highlight both the changing scenery and the lives of resident animals in these two dramatically different ecosystems. The books' clear, thoughtful design makes the information easy to follow, and sidebars provide ""ECO-Fact"" tidbits. Websites. Ind. [Review covers these Our Wild World Ecosystem titles: Prairie Grasslands and Rocky Mountains.] (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
