Sandy Ransford

My two-year-old grandson and I do not read the text in this book. Rather, we read the pictures. He has learned very much about horses and riding from this book and was thrilled to have ridden on a pony at the state fair this week. There is much more he can and will learn from this book. I anticipate that he will want to take riding lessons (as did his mom and dad) when he gets a bit older.

I bought this as an example of single species nature writing for children and to see the format used. I liked how the author portrays a year in the life of a female otter. Much information about the species is conveyed in a narrative format. The language is adequate for the purpose, occcasionally lyrical (see quotation), but not exceptional. The illustrations are pleasant and quite accurate, though not exceptional. I liked the list of river otter facts at the end, including scientific name, show more family, size, weight, distribution, habitat, prey, nests (called holts), young, and related species. Backmatter also includes Otter Distribution, How to Watch Otters (from a respectful distance without disturbing their behavior), Otter Words (a new one for me: spraint or otter scat), Further Information, and Index. show less

A very good, informative book about horse and pony care. Shows everything from grooming and tacking to basic health care and even how to choose a good stable/pasture for the horse.

798.2