This simplified account of Pocahontas's life and of fifteenth-century European and Native American relations strives for cultural sensitivity in the text and in the brightly colored illustrations, but many details are presented without any interpretation. Small text boxes and a final page add facts to a book that's a good reader but simplistic history. Ind.

Gr 2-4-Six sections deal with real incidents that illustrate the clash between big cats and humans in Africa and Southeast Asia. There is also a chapter on the beast of Exmoor, an animal thought to be an escaped puma that attacks farm animals in southwest England. Much of the book indicates how poaching and territorial encroachment are diminishing lion and tiger populations. Big cats are shown attacking humans when they are incapable of hunting more challenging prey. Some basic facts are supplied, but there is not enough information for general reports. The artwork includes many large, color photos and some watercolors. Illustrated sidebars feature basic vocabulary or people involved with big-cat ecology. Michael Bright's Tiger (Watts, 1989; o.p.) has a good section on preserving tigers and offers more substantive, better-organized information on the animal's life cycle. Chancellor's book is an additional purchase for libraries needing more beginning readers on endangered species.-Lynda Ritterman, Atco Elementary School, NJ Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.