Zebra Foals (Safari Babies)

PreS-Gr 4—Minimal text and highly appealing photographs of baby animals make this series a good choice for beginning readers of nonfiction. Seven full-page spreads highlight the visual appeal of the young animals, with a good mixture of full-body views, close-ups, and interactions with others. Simple declarative sentences, some as short as two words, provide the briefest descriptions. Three spreads featuring exceedingly cute photos of a gorilla infant, for example, are accompanied only by: "It eats. It walks. It plays." The limited amount of facts makes sense given the intended audience, and the simplicity of words and sentence structures make the books accessible to the very young. VERDICT This series is just right for newly emerging readers.