A Walrus' World (Caroline Arnold's Animals)
These additions to Caroline Arnold’s Animals series act as a charming bridge between picture books and higher-level nonfiction. Each book includes a narrative that tells the story of young animals growing up from birth until “they are ready to live on their own.” The stories, related in the present tense, feel immediate and engaging. Fact boxes on almost every spread provide interesting additional information, for example, “A walrus can hold its breath underwater for up to 10 minutes” in A Walrus’ World. The plainness of the fact boxes contrasts with Arnold’s beautiful but simple artwork, which cleanly captures the essence of each animal. Very basic backgrounds keep the illustrations’ focus squarely on the creatures. The back matter includes a map showing where the animals live, a list of fun facts, and a short glossary—all basic enough not to overwhelm younger children—and those elements seem more useful than the pro forma index, list of additional books, and Internet sites. Overall, these books’ perfectly balanced mix of facts, story, and pictures will hold young readers’ attention and help them learn. Grades K-2. --Miriam Aronin