ANIMALS AND THEIR MATES

This entry in a long-running series on animal behavior (Animals and Their Young, 2003; Animals Eating, 2001, etc.) suffers more from lack of organization than does its predecessors, but still offers plenty of fascinating facts. The subtitle promises more than readers get—most of the work covers the varied ways animals attract mates, from saliva balls to extra-long canine teeth. The whens and wheres of animal mating are covered pretty thoroughly, also, though never the hows—and the illustrations shy away from it, too. Animals protecting each other? Not in this. Stephen’s watercolor illustrations are consistently accurate and detailed. Unfortunately the amazing diversity of animal behavior works against any sort of storyline or conclusion here. Information comes in sound bites, and the effort suffers from it. Good, maybe the best available on the subject, but not great. (Nonfiction. 8-12)