Ellen Catala

This small 24 page children's book offers a brief introduction to venomous snakes. The simple text is aimed at the middle school level, and is accompanied by very attractive photographs of various species in their natural habitats. Topics include fangs and venom; viperids; rattlesnakes; and cobras & their relatives. The information is reasonably accurate, although a knowledgeable reader will notice several mistakes. (For example, contrary to the text, not all venomous snakes belong to the viperid, crotalid, and elapid families; and not all have front fangs). Likewise, one wonders why (since the author made note that king cobras are oviparous) that she didn't mention that many venomous snakes give birth to their young, a feature of general interest to biologists and laypersons alike. Further, no mention is made of evolution, a relevant issue since young readers could be interested to learn that snakes evolved from limbed lizards, and that fangs evolved independently multiple times. However, such aspects aside, this little book may interest the young reader in learning more about these fascinating, poorly appreciated reptiles.… (more)

Summary: This book talks about several different types of animals; their habitats, how they are endangered, and what they eat. Children will learn a lot from this book.

Personal Reaction: Great book to use when teaching children about animals. This book has a lot of information about different animals and where they live and how they are endangered.

Classroom extensions:
1) Children can draw pictures of there own habitat and things they need to survive like: food, water, clothes...
2)Draw pictures of their favorite animal in its habitat.… (more)