MITCHELL, Susan K. . Animal Chemical Combat: Poisons, Smells, and Slime diags. ISBN 978-0-7660-3294-1 . LC 2008011450. MITCHELL, Susan K. . Animal Mimics: Look-Alikes and Copycats ISBN 978-0-7660-3293-4 . LC 2008011449. MITCHELL, Susan K. . Animals with Awesome Armor: Shells, Scales, and Exoskeletons ISBN 978-0-7660-3296-5 . LC 2008011456. MITCHELL, Susan K. . Animals with Crafty Camouflage: Hiding in Plain Sight diag. ISBN 978-0-7660-3291-0 . LC 2008011073. MITCHELL, Susan K. . Animals with Wicked Weapons: Stingers, Barbs, and Quills ISBN 978-0-7660-3292-7 . LC 2008011075. ea vol: 48p. (Amazing Animal Defenses Series). photos. further reading. glossary. index. Web sites. CIP. Enslow 2008. PLB $23.93. Gr 2-4 Broader in focus than the Gross-Out Defenses series, this set groups animals by type of defensive (and sometimes offensive) behavior or capability. Combat , for instance, opens with a look at snakes and monarch butterflies, closes with marine ink squirters and the ever-popular hagfish, and in between recounts the unfortunate consequences of bothering such animals as stink bugs and the slow loris (It produces a poison that smells like stinky gym socks). The close-up photos are frequent and well chosen, and accompanied by clear, simply phrased texts, which are more detailed than average and take up most or all of the space on each page. An unusual feature is each volume's closing discussion of human equivalents, such as what spies do in Mimics , and how Kevlar works in Armor.

In this delightful series, various strange animal traits are explored. In Animals with Crafty Camouflage, Mitchell presents animals who are experts at various methods of disappearing in their environment, from moths and owls to the octopus, arctic hare, stick insect, and gecko. A section on how humans use camouflage is also included and demonstrates how they have adapted certain animal traits to better hide. In Animals with Wicked Weapons, Mitchell looks at animals that sport exotic modes of attack and defense, from the eelÆs electric discharges to the rattlesnakeÆs venomous bite, with antlers, quills, fangs, spikes, thorns, and body armor in between. The final section shows how humans have transformed some of these traits into non-lethal weapons that can be used instead of killing other humans. Mitchell designs this series to be appropriate for reluctant and low-level readers who are interested by animals and the tricks they perform. Each animalÆs talent is described with illustrated pictures to provide visual clues to the words. The pictures are gorgeous and have wide appeal for all readers. Finally, in addition to the print resources provided, each book contains Internet addresses that the reader can consult for more information. Other titles in this series include Animals with Awesome Armor, Animal Body-Part Regenerators, Animal Chemical Combat, and Animal Mimics.ùEtienne VallÚe.