Using an uncluttered page design with ample white space, these two books introduce crocodilians (the group that both alligators and crocodiles belong to) and frogs and toads. The books cover habitat, diet, mating, and raising young. Clear color photos--some that don't correspond to the main text--illustrate the pages. Glos., ind.

Gr 2-4-The basic facts about these animals are here, such as what they look like, what they eat, where they live, and how they raise their young. Facts that don't fit neatly into context appear in blue-shaded sidebars (e.g., "The jaws of an American alligator are strong enough to crunch an aluminum canoe"). The information is general, without much detail about differences among the species. For example, Frogs and Toads mainly looks at North American varieties and gives little attention to those found elsewhere. Clear, full-color photos, some full page, provide an attractive accompaniment to the texts. These serviceable overviews might be useful for brief reports, but they don't cover any new ground.-Arwen Marshall, Minneapolis Public Library Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.