Science Books & Films - Marvin Druger

The three books of this series concern how certain animals grow up and their adaptive behavior as they mature. The books feature a giraffe, a jaguar, and a kangaroo, respectively. All of the books follow the same format. Upon opening each one, the reader is struck by the decorative stripes that are repeated inside the front and back covers. In each book, the life cycle of the animal is described with attractive, colorful illustrations. In addition to the general narrative, each page has a small, rectangular box that contains a factoid of interest. The story starts with a young animal and ends with a fully grown animal. Some of the adaptive behaviors of the animal at different ages are described. Near the end of the book, there is a drawing of the adult animal, with labels indicating anatomical features. Then, a world map shows the main geographical region where the animal is found. There is also a glossary of terms. Finally, literature and Web references are cited for more information and an index completes the book. Overall, these books are well organized and well illustrated with narratives that are interesting and appealing. The presentation nicely integrated entertainment and education. Children will enjoy these titles very much and will learn from them.