Monkeys and Apes (First Discovery Book)
PreSchool-Grade 2-The compact size, colorful illustrations, and glossy overlays make this offering attractive at first glance. However, a closer look reveals a confusing and poorly organized book. It begins by telling readers that "monkeys and apes belong to an order called Primates. So do humans"; it ends by informing them that "Tarsiers, lorises, and lemurs are related to monkeys. They also belong to the order Primates." However, the intervening text offers almost no information about what defines a primate. Readers are told that a member of this order may be omnivorous or herbivorous and that it has four fingers and a thumb, but no clear definition emerges. No mention is made of stereoscopic vision, nails in place of claws, or bone structure. And for a book titled Monkeys and Apes, too much time is spent on the prosimian group rather than the anthropoid group that monkeys and apes fall into. The final two-page spread shows a group of animals that appear similar and asks youngsters to find which two are not primates. Most of the creatures are not illustrated or mentioned anywhere else in the book. The information presented in this title is too diverse, scattered, and disorganized, leaving one wishing for some kind of focus.Lisa Wu Stowe, Great Neck Library, NYCopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.