Review by Booklist Review
Children will turn first to the excellent, informatively captioned photos tigers stalking, running, and fighting with one another as well as a spectacularly sad picture of tiger skins spread out on the ground, apparently in preparation for illegal sale. But this entry in the new Living Wild series also has solid, informative content to accompany the captivating visuals. A short, dynamic introduction describing a hungry tiger securing a meal (what happens is made clear, but Hanel nicely manages to avoid the blood and guts details) leads into a smoothly written narrative that gathers facts on the great beasts' physical characteristics, behaviors, habitat, and reproduction, as well as a look at their reputation among humankind, fostered by their role in literature and legend. The importance of protecting tiger populations is a strong underlying theme throughout. Giraffes, koalas, penguins, and parrots are among the subjects found in other books in the series.--Zvirin, Stephanie Copyright 2008 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 5--8--A first-rate animal series returns with updated editions. Each title provides a thorough, well-rounded profile of the featured animal, covering physical features, behavior, life cycles, and habitats, supported by well-chosen photographs and drawings. Historical events and popular culture tie-ins add context, along with a short folktale and poem. The writing is clear and engaging, with enough depth of information to match the curiosity of older elementary and middle school learners. Most, but not all, photographs were used in previous editions, with two-to-four new photos in each. This new set features revised layouts, redesigned range maps, and new covers to provide a nicely updated look. The text is largely unchanged, with the crucial exception of threatened status and species populations now reflecting 2020's data. VERDICT Add individual titles to cover subject holes or consider the complete set as a strong, wide-ranging update to the animal shelves in your collection.
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