Endangered and Extinct Birds

Gr 2–4—Each title in this colorful series about endangered and extinct species introduces the main characteristics of each animal's group, then presents five examples. A concluding section on what can be done to help the endangered animals gives a general overview plus a list of age-appropriate suggestions, although some are less than inspiring. The titles conclude optimistically with an endangered animal success story. While the treatment is understandably superficial, some statements are misleading, with Amphibians having the most issues. There are plenty of large and vivid spreads, photos, and illustrations that are characteristic of this publisher; however, for many of the examples, there are no images. This series would have made a bigger impact by including more modern examples of extinct animals—after all, even preschoolers know dinosaurs are extinct.