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4-6
Bravelands series.
The Code of the wild is broken after the murder of the elephant leader known as Great Mother. In this second book (Broken Pride), lion cub Fearless, baboon Thorn, and elephant Sky return--each of the unlikely allies on a separate quest to protect the balance of the Bravelands. Hunter continues another formulaic series full of adventure and discovery.
(4)
4-6
Bravelands series.
The author of the perennially popular Warriors books opens a new series starring three young animals on the African plains: lion cub Fearless, baboon Thorn, and elephant Sky. Ignoring the laws of the Bravelands, these animal become unlikely allies, each demonstrating cleverness and bravery in an action-packed story that follows Hunter's conventional animal-fantasy formula to a T.
(3)
1-3
Flying Beaver Brothers series.
Beaver bros Ace and Bub return for a fifth heroic mission. Three entrepreneurial baboons are using "the Easy Breeze" (a giant hair-dryer contraption) to melt Beaver Island's snow for swimming pools--or maybe something more nefarious. The speech-balloon text is deadpan, and the dynamic comic-panel illustrations--pen-and-ink with monochromatic digital coloring--feature plenty of action paired with rollicking onomatopoeia.
288 pp.
| HarperCollins/Harper
| September, 2011
|
TradeISBN 978-0-06-166793-0$16.99
(3)
4-6
In ancient Egypt, Kepi and her pet baboon are kidnapped and taken aboard a ship bound for the capital. Kepi, initially scared, then indignant, seizes on the chance to confront the pharaoh about his cruel treatment of workers such as her father. A fantastical eleventh-hour plot twist brings the story into fairy-tale realm, gratifying fans of Napoli's previous like-themed novels.
24 pp.
| ABDO
| September, 2008
|
LibraryISBN 978-1-60453-150-3$19.93
(4)
K-3
SandCastle: Baby African Animals series.
A clean, inviting design frames the text in this early reader series. Group names, special habits, diet, and predators are covered, though some explanations are unsatisfying and at times the facts seem too loosely strung together. Occasional sidebars support the text and/or the clear photographs. "Vital Statistics" and "Fun Facts" are useful for making comparisons among the animals. Glos. Review covers these SandCastle: Baby African Animals titles: It's a Baby Baboon!, It's a Baby Hippopotamus!, and It's a Baby Lion!
71 pp.
| Bloomsbury
| November, 2008
|
TradeISBN 978-1-59990-215-9$9.99
(3)
1-3
Illustrated by
LeUyen Pham.
Akimbo and his cousin help a baboon by removing wire tangled around its leg. Later, when the boys get lost, the same baboon appears to save them. Is this just a coincidence or a humanlike connection? Akimbo is an appealing character, and the African bush, shown in expressive black-and-white illustrations, makes a dramatic setting. Further information about baboons is appended.
197 pp.
| Hyperion
| July, 2008
|
TradeISBN 978-1-4231-0816-0$15.99
(3)
4-6
Illustrated by
Lita Judge.
Mogo, a highly anthropomorphized warthog, learns to live on his own after he outgrows his family's protection. After Mogo's many near-miss escapes, readers will be happily relieved when he finds a friend. Napoli's depiction of life on the harsh African savanna is exciting. Judge's rugged black-and-white illustrations ably depict the warthogs' rough lives and moments of calm.
32 pp.
| Putnam
| March, 2005
|
TradeISBN 0-399-24268-6$14.99
(3)
PS
One by one the members of the band march in: "Here comes a drummer.... Here comes another." The percussionists perform, and the baboon, poised to play his small triangle, waits. And waits. Young readers can decipher the spare text with help from the cut-paper illustrations and the many rhyming words that provide hints to unfamiliar vocabulary.
40 pp.
| Mondo
| February, 2004
|
TradeISBN 1-59336-002-9$$15.95
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Kenneth J. Spengler.
A vacation at Hotel Jungle would be fun under any circumstances. But when new arrivals are met by a group of baboons who took over the hotel after managers and guests left on an impromptu cruise, it's a wild ride. Outlandish baboon activity ensues, somewhat heedless of logical plot development. Things are turned upside down at a rollicking pace in cartoon-bright jungle color.
24 pp.
| ABDO
| October, 2002
|
LibraryISBN 1-57765-711-X$$21.35
(4)
K-3
Buddy Books: Animal Kingdom series.
For each animal, flat, declarative prose describes various species and markings and tells how the animals survive in the wild. Although the text is occasionally unclear on minor points, the short sentences, small text blocks, large type, and elementary design with a single color photo on each page make them suitable for beginning readers. There are eight other new books in this series. Websites. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Buddy Books: Animal Kingdom titles: Baboons, Giraffes, Humpback Whales, Tigers, and Zebras.]
40 pp.
| Harcourt
| September, 2001
|
TradeISBN 0-15-202313-5$$14.00
(4)
PS
Altoona and her friends head north to visit her aunt in "north Saskatoon-a." But after too much fun in the snow, Auntie decides to surreptitiously guide the trip south, and before they know it, they're back in sunny Laguna Beach. Although the verse is sometimes forced, Auntie's sly surprise will tickle funny bones, as will the vibrant cartoon illustrations rendered in "digital pen-and-ink and watercolor."
183 pp.
| Walker
| April, 1999
|
TradeISBN 0-8027-8711-8$$16.95
(4)
YA
Translated by John Nieuwenhuizen.
Morengaru, a hunter, is rejected by his people after he accidentally kills a man. His solitary journey across the African landscape leads him to a group of baboons; when he kills their leader, Morengaru becomes the simian king and helps the others fight a marauding leopard. Morengaru's experiences are very well observed, but the plot is often oblique in a novel that doesn't seem particularly geared toward young readers.