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Teeth That Stab and Grind

by Diane Swanson

Feet That Suck and Feed

by Diane Swanson

Award-winning nature author Diane Swanson has just released the third and fourth books in her Up Close series (previous titles are Tails That Talk and Fly and Noses That Plow and Poke.) Beyond the catchy titles and wonderful cover photos are pages of neat facts written in a simple, friendly style for young readers. Each book focuses on an animal’s body part and explores its many shapes, sizes, and adaptations in a variety of animals from around the world. The excellent full-page colour photos on every second page allow readers to see the body part in use and add humour and appeal to the books.

Teeth That Stab and Grind includes a general introduction to animal teeth, along with six sections focusing on different uses of teeth, from chomping and grinding, grabbing and stabbing, to talking teeth and tricky teeth. Readers learn the basics about biting and chewing, but they also find out about lemurs, which use their front teeth as combs, and hippos, which communicate by showing off their teeth. Along with the fun and informative text, small boxes of information with cartoon-like illustrations appear on every page of text. These add interest and allow for a quick read. The design is bright and colourful and should appeal to a wide range of young readers, from those who want information to those who prefer to look at pictures. The index lists the different creatures in the book, which is helpful for those doing projects.

Feet That Suck and Feed features six different categories of feet: sucking, feeding, swimming, climbing, leaping, and running-on-water feet. Swanson sticks to her appealing approach to nature writing by choosing a wide variety of animals from around the world to demonstrate the many uses and kinds of feet. Readers learn about the special cliff-clinging feet of mountain goats and how snowshoe hares got their name. Many animals, such as pandas, use their front feet like hands for holding food and feeding themselves. Others, such as the platypus, use their feet for defense. The full-colour photos are a beautiful addition to the book, and obvious care has been taken to choose eye-catching and colourful ones. The cartoon illustrations of various creatures highlighted in boxes add more interesting information in a fun and funky style that is sure to appeal to the young audience.

Whether a young child is looking for information for a project, or simply wants an entertaining read about animals, these books are a good place to start. Having shown us some of the remarkable variety of nature throughout the world, this is likely to be a long and enjoyable series from Diane Swanson.

 

Reviewer: Pamela Hickman

Publisher: Greystone Books

DETAILS

Price: $14.95

Page Count: 32 pp

Format: Cloth

ISBN: 1-55054-768-2

Released: Mar.

Issue Date: 2000-5

Categories: Children and YA Fiction

Age Range: ages 5–7

Reviewer: Pamela Hickman

Publisher: Greystone Books

DETAILS

Price: $6.95

Page Count: 32 pp

Format: Paper

ISBN: 1-55054-769-0

Released: Mar.

Issue Date: May 1, 2000

Categories: Children and YA Fiction

Age Range: ages 5–7