From Tadpole To Frog (Lifecycles)

From Tadpole to Frog (Lifecycles)

Large illustrations and simple text present the lifecycle of a tadpole to a frogFrom School Library JournalK-Gr-2--The description on the back covers of these titles states that they are the "story of growth and change, in the simplest possible way." Chicken is simplified to the point of being misleading. It discusses the egg, but makes no mention of fertilization. It gives the impression that several eggs are laid at one time, and that the chick exists at the time the egg is laid. It then discusses the embryo as being a tiny dot in the albumen, but only in the glossary does it explain that albumen is the egg white. The text states that the hen turns the egg to keep it warm all over, which is only partially correct. Turning is also necessary for the proper development of the embryo. One caption implies that bantams have combs. Almost every definition in the glossary could easily have been included as part of the text. Only metric measurements are used. Tadpole succeeds with only minor problems. It uses appropriate scientific terms such as egg, sperm, and fertilized, and the glossary is more useful. Both titles feature large print with two or three sentences per double-page spread. Large, colorful illustrations fill each page, which is bordered with a red line. Both titles have captions when necessary. Tadpole might be an additional purchase, but Chicken lays an egg.Eldon Younce, Harper Elementary School, KSCopyright 1998 Cahners Business Information, Inc.