Habitat Spy

Gr 2—3—A simple rhyming text encapsulated in binoculars-shaped "boxes" uses an "I Spy" approach to introduce a number of different habitats. The deciduous forest entry, for example, speaks of hemlocks, millipedes, owls, and deer, leaving adults the chore of naming the rest—wood thrush, wild turkey, porcupine, blue jay, black bear, red fox, striped skunk, and hairy or downy woodpecker. This is fine for the knowledgeable, but a bit tougher with critters like limpkins, bat stars, California quail, and marmots. No pictorial key is provided. The rhymes are occasionally forced: Do bees "bump" or muskrats "snick"? The book includes a number of activities designed for the classroom, the home school, or summer camp—a true/false quiz, a food-chain diagram, and a set of questions on habitats. In spite of the colorful and large illustrations, this book is additional at best.—Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY