Manatees (Our Wild World)
Grade 3-5-There is plenty to interest both report writers and  animal lovers in these books. Although there are no chapter  divisions or sections, information is fairly well organized and  accessible through the index. Both volumes include some  historical background on the animals and information about  physical characteristics; habitat; living, feeding, and breeding  habits; growth of offspring; and fascinating "Funfacts." Some  terms are written phonetically within the texts to help with  pronunciation. Many large, clear photos alternate with color  drawings. Some captions repeat information provided in the texts  or in other captions (more so in Bison than in Manatees). A few  photos in Bison are not placed near related text. Manatees are  presented as friendly, curious mammals; unusual photos of them  include one of an open-mouthed sea cow cleaning its teeth on the  anchor rope of a boat. The massive size and strength of both  individual bison and a herd are apparent in both written  description and photographs. An appended listing of Internet  sites is the same in both volumes. Jean H. Sibbald's The Manatee  (Dillon, 1990; o.p.) is similar in content to Feeney's book, but  speaks more about human threats to manatees. Kathy Darling's  Manatee: On Location (Lothrop, 1991) is much more descriptive.  Dorothy Hinshaw Patent's Buffalo: The American Bison Today  (Turtleback, 1986) is more detailed and highly readable, but is  for an older audience.Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public  Library, OHCopyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.