5,000 Awesome Facts About Animals

Gr 3-6–Each of the 5,000 facts shared in this book is awesome, just as advertised in the title. The coverage is extensive, including wildlife of every kind, addressing habitat, diet, reproduction, physical features, and much more. The spreads are well-designed eye candy taken from a multitude of photo collections. To reach the purported 5,000 facts, tidbits are jam-packed into the pages. The design is meant to break up the lists of facts, with sentences in bubbles or shapes. There are also spreads dedicated to 100 facts each, presented in alternating colors, one on top of the other. These self-contained spreads feature facts about a general subject, such as “100 splashy facts about wetland animals,” but otherwise, each bit of information has nothing to do with the item before or after. Though the one-sentence facts are indeed “awesome,” this format is not conducive to learning, retaining knowledge, or enjoyment. Back matter consists of an extensive index.