"Mollusks have soft, moist bodies with no bones." One factual line of text per spread is accurately illustrated in watercolors that show the animals in various underwater, mud-filled, and land-based habitats. A six-page afterword provides additional information above the reading level of the main text. Websites. Bib.

The latest in the About . . . series casts the spotlight on an often-overlooked group—the mollusks. This beginner's guide teaches readers in small, digestible bits, giving one to two sentences of facts per page in simple language. Sill presents the basic facts—mollusks have soft bodies with no bones and grow from eggs—but she also makes the diversity of the group apparent. Some have shells, some are shell-less; some live on land, most in the water; some are predators, while some eat vegetation. The author's afterword is a wonderful resource, showing a thumbnail of each illustration, fleshing out the fact given on the page, and giving more information about the featured mollusk. Don't skip this—it gives some of the work's most interesting facts. For instance, "Common Violet Snails blow bubbles that harden and make a raft." They can then ride the raft on the ocean surface and find food. Vibrant watercolor illustrations vividly portray the colors and textures of the animals and their habitats and are a good mix of commonly known and unusual mollusks. A good beginning text about this unique group. (bibliography, Web sites) (Nonfiction. 3-7)

K-Gr 2-This attractive title consists mainly of large, realistic watercolors, each accompanied by a sentence or two of simply written text. It concludes with a sort of field guide with extra data on the featured creatures. (A single carp-the Hopkins' Rose is not identified as a sea slug until the afterword.) Less detailed than Beth Blaxland's busy Mollusks: Snails, Clams, and Their Relatives (Chelsea House, 2003), and simpler than Joy Richardson's Mollusks (Watts, 1993), this handsome look at a cast of lowly characters is a rewarding slice of the biodiversity pie.-Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.