A panda, a loon, a skunk, and four other black-and-white animals are the subjects for seven riddles set in large, clear type and accompanied by a portion of pattern from the animal in question. The format and ease with which each animal can be identified suggests a very young audience, although the afterword includes further information that might interest older children.

<p>An animal puzzle book with appeal for the picture-book set. For each of seven black-and-white animals showcased (zebra, orca, panda, loon, skunk, penguin, African mocker swallowtail butterfly), a riddle accompanies a partial view of the creature, e.g., ""I live in the misty mountains far, far to the east. I love to chew bamboo."" Readers are invited to guess ""What am I?"" A turn of the page leads to the entire animal and additional information. Alas, the panda is sitting in a tree, but it is not bamboo. The riddles are not especially challenging although the vocabulary is (flutter, nectar, tissue, dolphin) for the audience that will have the most fun with this book. A ""Did you know?"" section offers additional facts.</p>

PreS-Gr 2--As the title suggests, only black and/or white animals are included in this guessing game. On one double-page spread, the various creatures describe themselves in a sentence or two with a small portion of their body depicted on the opposite page. Additional information and a view of the whole animal appears on the following page. The illustrations, done in gouache, show the various creatures set against bright, realistic scenes of their natural habitats. The large type size is perfect for beginning or reluctant readers. A concluding section offers further information about the animals' relationship to others, size, coloration, and special qualities. This section will be best shared by an adult to translate some of the concepts mentioned. Most useful for primary grades studying animals.--Marsha McGrath, Clearwater Public Library, FL