Rather than delivering the basics, like lions, tigers, and bears, these volumes in the continuing Living Wild series focus on some of the planet's less understood yet often more intriguing animals. Geared for both the browsing reader and serious student, the oversize books blend detailed information with engaging sidebar facts and numerous high-quality color photos, many of which are full page. Each title presents an overview of the species as well as its physical characteristics, habitat, food sources, defense mechanisms, mating, care for its young, and special qualities that make it unusual or unique. Sloths describes how this slow-moving animal earns its name both anecdotally and scientifically. All of the books consider how the animal has been represented in religion, literature, art, and popular media and even include a short folktale or myth related to the creature. Perhaps most important is how the series addresses threats, particularly human impact, to the survival of these species. Whether weird, beautiful, or simply adorable, this series has its animals covered.

The stunning photographs in these books complement the informative texts, focusing on one animal per volume. Appearance, habitat, diet, behavior, conservation efforts, and presence in human culture are all addressed in great detail, while sidebars provide additional information. Although lengthy chapters and the absence of a table of contents makes quick referencing difficult, thorough indexing helps to mitigate this drawback. There are four other fall 2014 books in this series. Bib., glos., ind.

PreS-Gr 3 Gibbons has a talent for bridging the divide between picture books and more detailed nonfiction. She provides information on two levels. An ongoing narrative at the bottom of each page includes general facts about beavers and is organized in sections with headings such as "Building a Beaver Dam." Then, on each full-page drawing, she labels important features of beavers, their habitat, and other animals that share the ponds and riverbanks. Most of the detailed information on each page is written in complete sentences as well, with vocabulary words in capital letters for easy identification. This allows the author to include a wealth of information within the picture-book format. The full-bleed pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations are engaging but incredibly busy. A map is included along with a page of additional beaver facts at the end of the book. This inviting addition will definitely find a home in many collections. Susan E. Murray, formerly at Glendale Public Library, AZ