Opossums

These “day in the life” snapshots of wild animals are designed to entertain children while teaching basic animal traits. The content highlights key physical characteristics, behaviors, diets, and nesting spaces. Bald Eagles and Opossums, the only titles using feminine pronouns, also reference the species’ young. Chipmunks focuses on the fall season leading into winter, while Badgers and Opossums take place at night. Anthropomorphisms and exclamation points are used in every book, mostly to convey fear or happiness (for example, in Eagles, “Wow! A fish!…. Yum!”). The bright colors and clear photos are mostly well chosen, although the occasional use of obvious stock photos does detract from the text. For instance, in Skunks, a skunk is featured outdoors in a grassy area, but the threatening bobcat appears surrounded by white space, and the difference in setting is likely to confuse readers. VERDICT The short sentences and carefully selected vocabulary will please new readers.