IT'S MY WORLD TOO

When little Panda wonders where the forest has gone, his mother explains that people have cut down the trees. “But what’s over there?” The peephole shows a vibrant green stand of bamboo, and a turn of the page explains that people need to replant the forests they have cut down. The rest of the text follows a similar pattern, introducing children to various animals, their habitats and the problems they face. Text-box asides provide some background information, but it is not enough to impart full understanding. Pasquali often goes beyond simple anthropomorphization to ascribe unrealistic feelings and motivations to the animals: Mother Snow Leopard tells her child that they cannot hunt the people’s yak herds, for instance. Children with well-developed empathy may be frustrated that so little is said about what they can specifically do: The book ends with a Christina Goodings poem that suggests creating a space for animals and plants, but it's too little, too late. Macnaughton’s illustrations suit the young audience, with adorable animals sweetly taking care of their young, but they are not enough to outweigh the text’s many flaws. (Picture book. 3-5)