Color in Nature: Secrets of Animal Survival

Gr 3-7–Keeping the promise of its title, this is a beautiful book that will pop off of the shelf and attract even reluctant nonfiction readers. It covers both the how and why of animal colors, including sections on where colors come from as well as their adaptive purposes. The book ends with a section on conservation and global warming that features suggestions for things kids can do to preserve Earth’s colorful animals. Much of the book reads like a science textbook and includes the text features you’d expect in traditional nonfiction: photos, captions, headers, and a glossary and index in the end matter. Occasionally, the tone shifts to a more conversational voice with references that won’t always hit the mark for young readers. For example, Aitken at one point wishes that he could “be a toucan while traveling economy on international flights!” However, the main draw of this book will be its beautiful and vivid photography. Kids will page through this title again and again to enjoy photos of colorful and peculiar mantis shrimp, not-so-stealthily camouflaged arctic foxes, and electric blue poison dart frogs.