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(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
K-Fai Steel.
A noodle-loving elephant is jailed for violating a kangaroo-authorized law: "Noodles are for kangaroos." The book wouldn't have lost anything at half its length. Nevertheless, there's nothing undercooked about the story's message: "When the laws are so unjust / Misbehavior is a must!" Scenes of anthropomorphized animals about town help bring to life the politics of the human-free community.
32 pp.
| Putnam
| June, 2018
|
TradeISBN 978-0-399-54574-0$16.99
(3)
PS
Kangaroo and Koala both enjoy blowing bubbles, but Koala is too shy to talk to Kangaroo or climb out of her tree. However, when some of their bubbles stick together to form a bubble monster, Koala musters the courage to help her new friend. Delicate watercolor and pen-and-ink illustrations depict the rosy-cheeked animal tykes' sweet friend-courtship and keep even the bubble monster looking more cute than scary.
40 pp.
| Clarion
| May, 2017
|
TradeISBN 978-0-544-79084-1$16.99
(3)
PS
A koala and a kangaroo spend a day supervising their nine rambunctious Australian animal children, including a wallaby, quoll, wombat, and echidna (identified at book's end). The vibrant text is entirely written in onomatopoeia and short exclamations (at breakfast: "Crunch crunch, Gobble gobble, Lick lick, More!"). Similarly active illustrations showcase the animals' energy; Kangaroo and Koala sure have their hands--er, paws--full!
(4)
1-3
DC Super-Pets Origin Stories series.
Illustrated by
Art Baltazar.
"Every super hero needs a super-pet!" begins these origin stories bringing a superhero and animal helper together--Wonder Woman with her super-jumping Amazonian kangaroo (in Jumpa) and Batman with his happy-go-lucky lost dog (in Ace). With their super-cartoony illustrations, these slight, large-format stories--in which the creatures play vital crime-fighting roles--should appeal to young animal-loving superhero fans. Silly jokes are appended. Glos. Review covers these DC Super-Pets Origin Stories titles: Ace! and Jumpa!
(4)
K-3
Lightning Bolt Books: Baby Australian Animals series.
Each book begins with the birth of an Australian animal and then, in four brief chapters, superficially describes its growth and development, behaviors, diet, and physical characteristics; each ends with a simple life cycle diagram. Clear photographs help illustrate the somewhat choppy texts. "Habitat in Focus" and "Fun Facts" sections are appended. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Lightning Bolt Books: Baby Australian Animals titles: Meet a Baby Koala, Meet a Baby Tasmanian Devil, Meet a Baby Wombat, Meet a Baby Kangaroo, and Meet a Baby Wallaby.
(4)
K-3
Fabulous Animals series.
Both books begin with European settlers landing in Australia and seeing "strange animals" for the first time, then trying to determine what they are. Indigenous Australian legends are also touched on. The flow of information isn't always straightforward, but eye-catching photos and accessible texts give readers a sense of these creatures and their special features. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Fabulous Animals titles: The Story of the Kangaroo and The Story of the Platypus.
(4)
K-3
Start to Finish series.
Four- to five-sentence "chapters" follow mammals from birth to adulthood, briefly touching on behavior and diet in addition to development. Each right-hand page provides a vivid, full-color photograph of cubs or joeys with their mothers, in action alone or with others of their species. Slight but engaging, these titles will draw in animal lovers. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Start to Finish titles: From Cub to Panda, From Cub to Tiger, and From Joey to Kangaroo.
(3)
K-3
Seedlings series.
These attractive books provide basic facts about their subjects, including habitats, physical appearances, family relationships, diets, and behaviors. Spare texts in large type and bright, eye-catching photos make the information accessible to new nonfiction readers. A concluding spread features an anatomically labeled photo of the animal and a couple of close-ups of specific features. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Seedlings titles: Bison, Jaguars, Rhinoceroses, and Kangaroos.
(3)
K-3
Do You Really Want to Meet...? series.
Illustrated by
Daniele Fabbri.
In each book, readers accompany an inquisitive child on a journey to observe wild animals in their natural habitat. Bold cartoon illustrations and the second-person text add to the immediacy of the experience. Peppered with facts, warnings, and questions, the texts focus mainly on the dangers of interacting with wild animals rather than on their habitat, diet, and behaviors. Map, reading list, websites. Glos. Review covers these Do You Really Want to Meet...? titles: Cape Buffalo, Kangaroo, Lion, Moose, and Elephant.
24 pp.
| Candlewick
| January, 2015
|
TradeISBN 978-0-7636-7075-7$16.99
(2)
K-3
Illustrated by
Graham Byrne.
Lyrical text and Byrne's dramatic charcoal and digital collages propel readers into one night in the life of Red, a large Australian kangaroo. Informational text that further explains the red roo's habits--and allows readers to extrapolate from a single animal to the entire species--accompanies each page of the narrative. A concluding note provides additional information about kangaroos. Ind.
Reviewer: Betty Carter
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
March, 2015
24 pp.
| Smart Apple
| March, 2015
|
LibraryISBN 978-1-62588-166-3$27.10
(4)
K-3
Big Beasts series.
These books introduce large mammals, covering physical characteristics and adaptations, diet, behavior, habitat, and care of young. The presentation is formulaic, but plenty of colorful photographs support the accessible texts, which include kid-pleasing details: "Hippos sprint faster than a human..."; camels' "pee is a thick syrup..." Each volume concludes with a "BIG Facts" spread providing readers with comparisons and additional information. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Big Beasts titles: Camel, Dolphin, Hippo, Kangaroo, Lion, and Panda.
100 pp.
| Darby Creek
| March, 2014
|
LibraryISBN 978-1-4677-1457-0$27.93
|
PaperISBN 978-1-4677-2161-5$7.95
|
EbookISBN 978-1-4677-2411-1
(3)
YA
Bareknuckle series.
Set in a nineteenth-century NYC Bowery underground boxing club, these fast-paced and involving hi-lo novels--filled with fight action, intrigue, adventure, and a multiethnic cast of characters--starkly portray the social, political, and economic realities of the period and place. There are recurring secondary characters, but each book's unique central character drives the plot and resolves the story's conflicts. Compelling, reluctant-reader-friendly historical fiction. Review covers these Bareknuckle titles: Lightning's Run, The Giant, The Big Fix, and Fighter's Alley.
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Patricia J. Wynne.
In this companion to Hello, Baby Beluga, Lunde informs readers about wallaroos, a kind of kangaroo, in a simple direct-address question-answer format, with one exchange per double-page spread: "Mama Wallaroo, how tall are you?" "I am about three feet tall." A final smaller-print spread provides additional wallaroo facts. Pale browns, grays, and greens dominate the quiet illustrations, set in the Australian bush.
32 pp.
| Houghton
| September, 2013
|
TradeISBN 978-0-547-40205-5$16.99
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Lynn Munsinger.
Mama kangaroo sings a medley of nursery rhymes and songs to lull Cooper, her baby kangaroo, to sleep. Somewhat awkward alternative lyrics are offered for the familiar melodies of "Rock-a-Bye Baby," "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," "Mary Had a Little Lamb," and more. Munsinger's trademark watercolor and ink illustrations picture Mama and Cooper lounging, cuddling, and, eventually, snoozing on a comfy couch.
24 pp.
| Bearport
| January, 2012
|
LibraryISBN 978-1-61772-415-2$23.93
(3)
K-3
Animal Diaries: Life Cycles series.
This book provides readers with information on the developmental stages and habitat of kangaroos. Facts are presented as notes in a child's observation notebook. The attention-grabbing photos, simple vocabulary, and sidebars with additional facts and questions make this an engaging and approachable book. A related activity is included in the "Science Lab" section. Reading list. Glos., ind.
32 pp.
| HarperCollins/Harper
| December, 2012
|
TradeISBN 978-0-06-222133-9$9.99
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Charles Fuge.
When Roo the kangaroo wakes up in a bad mood, his mother tries all sorts of tricks to make him smile. Nothing works, until she tumbles by mistake into a mud hole, leaving them both covered with muck. At last, Roo can't help but smile. Expressive illustrations and lively typeface amplify the story's slapstick humor.
32 pp.
| ABDO
| September, 2011
|
LibraryISBN 978-1-61783-011-2$28.50
(4)
K-3
Big Buddy Books: Australian Animals series.
This series provides brief introductions to animals native to Australia. The texts jump from topic to topic, but clear writing and simple vocabulary make them useful choices for independent reading. Occasional "Uncovered!" sidebars along with close-up photos and some drawings of the friendly looking title animals enhance the volumes. Glos., ind. Review covers these Big Buddy Books: Australian Animals titles: Kangaroos, Koalas, and Platypuses.
40 pp.
| Phaidon
| May, 2011
|
TradeISBN 978-0-7148-6083-1$14.95 Reissue (1959, Harper)
(3)
K-3
Kangaroo Adelaide, unaccountably born with wings, flies to Paris. She stars onstage; rescues children from a burning building; negotiates her kangaroo fiancé's freedom from the zoo; and ends with a pocketful of wee ones. Ungerer remains a master of suggestion: with marvelous skill, his agile pen embellishes the straightforward visual narrative, arrayed on spacious white, with a wealth of comical details.
24 pp.
| Bearport
| January, 2010
|
LibraryISBN 978-1-936087-24-2$22.61
(4)
K-3
More SuperSized! series.
Simple texts introduce the habitats, diets, life cycles, physical characteristics, behaviors, and unique adaptations for survival of these amazingly large mammals. Stock photos, including close-ups of adults and their young, illustrate the pages. The information is limited and there are some goofy section heads (e.g., "Beary Big," "What's In a Name?"), but the books are generally useful. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these More SuperSized! titles: Brown Bear, Siberian Tiger, Southern Elephant Seal, Capybara, Killer Whale, and Red Kangaroo.
24 pp.
| QEB
| January, 2010
|
LibraryISBN 978-1-59566-740-3$25.65
(4)
K-3
Life Cycles series.
The life cycle of a kangaroo is explored in simple text that is usually clear but occasionally confusing. The volume describes life in the pouch, kangaroo traits, and mating rituals, then compares the animals to other mammals and marsupials. Page layouts provide multiple vivid photos and captions without being too busy or confusing. Glos., ind.