Eaton has hit upon an effective combination of silly and informative in this new series. The dynamic pages, with lighthearted, crisply rendered cartoon illustrations, are thoughtfully designed to make the books accessible to both new and more-independent readers. The main texts dispense basic animal facts while the animals' speech bubbles alternate between supplementing information and advancing goofy subplots (e.g., a hippo's failed attempts at bike riding). Reading list.