Biology: Life as We Know It! [With Poster]

Gr 3-8. One page each is devoted to entries covering diverse topics from mitochondria, bacteria, and amphibians to T cells, chlorophyll, and fruit. Entries classify the item, highlight three important points, provide a sassy description, and conclude with three interesting facts. The bold and colorful Japanese-influenced graphics anthropomorphize scientific components, adding to the title's appeal for young readers or older reluctant readers trying to get a handle on the basics of biology. A lot of information, some basic and some quite advanced, is introduced, and the book is therefore a bit more unwieldy than Adrian Dingle's "The Periodic Table" (2007) and Green's "Physics" (2008, both Kingfisher). However, it is a fun, albeit brief, introduction to a vast topic."Ragan O'Malley, Saint Ann's School, Brooklyn, NY" Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.