MUTE SWANS

In this entry in the Creatures in White series, glossy full- color photographs and a brief text document the life cycle of the mute swan, a European native that has been introduced into areas of the eastern US and Michigan. The stately white migratory bird returns each spring with its mate to the lake or pond where it was born to raise a brood of cygnets. Dramatic photographs show the cob and pen and their young, floating, feeding, brooding, flying, and gliding: white swans mirrored in deep blue waters and shadowy swans in silver-rippled water touched with gold from a setting sun. The close-ups of the nest, eggs, and cygnets are especially appealing. The final pages give pictures and brief facts about the seven species of swans, and provide a world map, with information on the mute swan's range. Without scientific names, sizes, or other vital statistics on the swans, this is an attractive title, though mostly for browsers. (Nonfiction. 8-10)