Looking at Bears - Hardcover

Grade 4-6?An enjoyable introduction to the bears of the world by a renowned science author. It certainly has the basics: the ancestry, physical characteristics, eating habits, intelligence, hibernation, senses, birth and growth, and interesting facts on each species of bear. What sets the book apart from others of its kind is Patent's elegant writing style as well as her small dazzling details. For example, Patent tells readers that a polar bear's paws are one foot in diameter and that this great white bear can smell a seal more than 20 miles away. Fine full-color photographs complement the text nicely. Although not as eye-catching as Theresa Greenaway's Amazing Bears (Knopf, 1992), it nonetheless has stronger, if more subtle, appeal. A richly rewarding selection.?Amy Adler, Toledo-Lucas County Public Library, OH
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 2-5. Patent and Mu{¤}noz have created another of their fine photo-essays on zoology. With clear, direct prose and action color photographs on almost every page, the accessible design will draw browsers; but many children will read this from cover to cover, for personal interest as well as for those first research papers. Patent speaks about science with respect but with no intimidating jargon, providing facts about evolution ("How Bears Came to Be"), classification, habitat, and behavior, with special sections on hibernation ("Bears in Winter"), reproduction, and nutrition (What Bears Eat"). The pictures show a great variety of species in all kinds of places, from polar bears and grizzlies to the sloth bears of Asia. The final section on conservation has a compelling simplicity: "Bears in Trouble." Hazel Rochman