First Comes Love: All About the Birds and the Bees--and Alligators, Possums, and People, Too
K-Gr 6-Davis explains various types of mating, births, and child-rearing styles of species from octopus, firefly, and human to mosquito and penguin-all in jaunty rhyme. Because it's hard to be totally informative under the beat of rhyming couplets, there are also the picture-book equivalent of footnotes. They provide details such as "Human babies are usually born headfirst and come out through their mother's vagina" or "When a male possum goes courting, he makes a metallic clicking sound." Mackie's stylish and smart drawings are equally festive but less instructive (no genitalia are drawn or diagramed). There's lots of visual drollery in the surreal bat mates and the jolly lion family. (The lioness wears spike heels, harlequin spectacles, and carries a brief case.) This work is definitely in the Peter Mayle (Where Did I Come From? [Lyle Stuart, 1986]) camp: smiling sperm rush to a love-struck egg. This isn't the book for those who are turned off by anthropomorphic courtship and love for peacocks, spiders, and alligators. It will be largely for parents who want a vehicle for exploring the topic with their children. A book for libraries that provide a variety of approaches to the subject.-Sue Sherif, Fairbanks North Star Borough Public Library, AKCopyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.