Through the Animal Kingdom: Discover Amazing Animals and Their Remarkable Homes

Gr 3-5–This geographical tour of 13 animal habitats spans the globe, from the Arctic tundra, the Rocky Mountains, the Galapagos Islands, and the Amazon rain forest to the Sahara Desert, the Serengeti, Siberia, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, and Antarctica. Harvey’s short but richly worded passages merge descriptions of the habitats with information about the animals found there: Galapagos turtles may live longer than 100 years, and some monkeys live their entire lives without touching the ground. The intriguing trip concludes with a set of pages recapping the many animals spotted along the journey. Complementing the vivid text, Pepper’s impressive collages incorporate many well-focused photographs and draw attention to the variations in wildlife and their environments. Some animals are identified with labels or accompanied by captions. Sturdy exterior binding sharply contrasts with the lesser-quality interior page stitching, which may not hold up over time. The amount of material on each region is limited, though the volume gives a quick, effective overview of the wildlife found all over the world.