Mammal: New York Times Notable Book of the Year

Like all Eyewhitness books, this one is full of information and great photos. We have a large collection of these books and look forward to enjoying them for years to come.

This is yet another of the many Eyewitness Books volumes. This time, the focus is mammals. The book begins by noting that humans are among about 4,000 mammal species on earth. And what exactly is a mammal? The book notes that mammals have fur/hair, are warm-blooded, and feed milk to their young. The focus of this book? Author Steve Parker says that (Page 7): "This book sets out to explore the world of the mammals--what they look like, their body structure, evolution, breeding, habits, and behavior--and in so doing will hopefully cast some light on our place in this group." The book begins by illustrating vividly the differences among mammals--by showing the skulls of many species, from rabbits to seals to aardvarks to shrews. There follows a brief discussion of the evolution of mammals and their diversification over time. After that, subjects vary, from coats and fur to the use of tails to breeding to keeping clean and so on. The book closes with a fascinating discussion of "mammal detectives," people who use their knowledge of nature to better understand fellow mammals. "Clues" include teeth, bones, furs caught on fences, and so on. In short, another nice book for young readers--and their parents.

This series always offers the best of visual learning and good written information. We couldn't do without them in our house.