Tropical Forest Mammals (True Books: Animals)
Grade 3-4?Each of these books covers a particular global biome and presents general information and some data on specific members of the widely disparate group of mammals that may inhabit it. Polar Mammals should be titled Arctic Mammals, as the author makes no mention of the seals and whales of the Antarctic. Some of the mammals indexed receive extremely short shrift (wolverines), while others are more fully described (lemmings). Reading the whole gives the impression of a collection of sound bytes that might be more fully enlarged in an encyclopedia article. Mountain Mammals, Temperate Forest Mammals and Tropical Forest Mammals provide longer and more detailed information on fewer animals. This tighter focus makes these titles slightly more useful to children investigating specific animals for reports, or to satisfy personal curiosity. In all of the titles,  the authors' constant habit of breaking compound sentences into simple ones by adding a period and capitalizing "And" or "But" is annoying. Still, the series is useful as a broad picture, or as a jumping-off place for further research. The books offered for further reading are current and readable, though some are above the "True Book" level. Colorful additions that may fill a gap.?Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NYCopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.