Ocean Adventures Wilderness Discoveries

Gr 4—6—These religious-centered introductions to some of the ecosystems and habitats in Hawaii and Michigan are written in a chatty, informal style. Superlatives abound in a text filled with exclamation points, e.g., "Hawaii has one of the most unique coral reef systems on the planet!" (Ocean Adventures) and expressions of wonder at the creatures being described: "God designed most owls to be nighttime hunters!" (Wilderness Discoveries). Some species are singled out in text boxes-"Hello, My Name Is:" and "Crazy Cool FACT!"—that highlight interesting information about them. Pronunciation guides appear sporadically, but they're not very helpful; e.g., "'cetaceans' (si-ta-tions)," and there is no help for other names such as "nene." The illustrations are a combination of color photographs and drawings, but many seem to be stuck on the page, with an amateurish cut-and-paste look. Without a table of contents, the specific chapters on the areas of these states are difficult to find, and with no index (even to the many biblical quotations), the books are strictly for browsing. Marginal purchases.—Frances E. Millhouser, formerly at Chantilly Regional Library, Fairfax County, VA