The Horn Book Guide

SCIENCE

Esbensen, Barbara Juster Keller, Holly, Illustrator

Sponges Are Skeletons

32 pp. | HarperCollins | January, 1998 | Trade ISBN 0-06-021034-6 | Library ISBN 0-06-021037-0

(4) K-3 Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science series. The natural sponges people use for washing and bathing were once living animals, explains Esbensen in this book about sponge habitats, anatomy, and how they're harvested. However, the primarily descriptive text does little to explain how sponges are indeed animals. A helpful comparison to factory-produced artificial sponges is found near the back of the book. Cartoonlike illustrations accompany the text.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.