Tell Me Why Earth Is Like a Jigsaw Puzzle: And Other Questions About Our Planet

PreS-Gr 2—Bright cartoon illustrations introduce readers to facts about Planet Earth and its animals. Although the images add humor, such as a frog adjusting the satellite dish on his tree house or a shark steamrolling fish to turn them into flatfish, the pictures do little to enhance the texts and detract from the real-life photographs. All photographs are placed over the illustrations on yellow Post-it note images and are so small that details like the Komodo dragon's forked tongue are not visible. The pictures may also be misleading to some childen, such as the one showing a cheetah racing a panda, a shark, and a whale. At times, the author creates her own compound words like "supersticky" and "superhot." These titles fall short in comparison to the "Tell Me Why, Tell Me How" series (Marshall Cavendish), which includes photographic images, suggested kid-friendly activities, and lists of books and websites for additional information.—Meaghan Darling, Plainsboro Public Library, NJ