Potbellied Pigs

April 1, 2011

Gr 2-5-This series offers detailed information on pets ranging from uncommon to truly exotic. Although the tone of the writing can be condescending ("Let's learn what you need to do..."), a wealth of information is provided on caring for these creatures. Readers looking for details on history or life in the wild, however, will be largely disappointed. Long blocks of text are broken up by photographs and cartoons or sidebars, sometimes in awkward places. A sometimes-annotated list of websites includes general interest links specific to the pet, though some are personal sites or bad links. While these books are not ideal, they will do the trick for libraries requiring a larger variety of pet books.

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July 1, 2011
This series touches on how to live with and care for oddball pets. The volumes are enhanced by many photographs and some humorous cartoon illustrations. The authors try hard to invigorate the texts with kid-friendly language ("A potbellied pig is a really cool pet"); it's sometimes a strain. "Far Out!" sidebars give more information. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

(Copyright 2011 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)