WILD BEARS

Beginning readers will relish these eye-popping titles in the “See More Readers” series by the noted science author (see above). Each nonfiction title uses spectacular full photos on every page and a brief, readable, large-type text filled with intriguing and quotable facts that beginning, as well as older, less-able, readers will find appealing and useful. It is his genius to pick just the right detail to pull the reader in. For instance, in Wild Bears, he explains that sloth bears dig into termite nests and suck up termites through a gap in their front teeth. In Planets around the Sun (ISBN: 1-58717-145-7), he notes: “If the Earth were the size of a basketball, the sun would be as big as a basketball court.” He concludes with a handy chart of planet facts. In Giant Machines (ISBN: 1-58717-126-0), readers will see a giant excavator more than 600 feet long and weighing nearly 30-million pounds and the tub grinder that crushes enough wood waste each hour to fill four dump trucks. In Killer Whales (ISBN: 1-56717-141-4), he reports that whales have teeth that are three inches long. Incredibly accessible, each title comes with four collectible trading cards. (Easy reader/nonfiction. 5-7)