Curious Critters

K-Gr 3--This collection of amazing close-up images on stark white backgrounds is a stunning introduction to the animals' unique beauty. No one could resist lingering over the sharp details in these vibrant photographs. Facing portraits of the American bullfrog and the American toad highlight the differences between the moist-skinned frog and the dry toad. The humorous, first-person text implies a rivalry involving toads and warts versus frogs and princesses. One spread features a face-off between two very different predators--a perfectly coiled black-and-gold fox snake and an Eastern screech-owl. The Virginia opossum looks directly into the camera and grabs viewers' attention. The tiny mites hitching a ride on the red flat bark beetle are nothing short of amazing. A concluding two-page section provides a brief paragraph on the natural history of each animal and insect. An interesting spread presents overlapping life-size silhouettes of each creature comparing their actual sizes. Each one is numbered and color-coded as a test to identify the individuals and their groupings. The sophisticated photography and lighthearted narrative combine in an intriguing introduction to some of the inhabitants of the natural world.--Frances E. Millhouser, formerly at Chantilly Regional Library, Fairfax County, VA