FOREST FRIENDS

Up-close with five different North American forest animals.

This board book spotlights bald eagles, rabbits, white-tailed deer, bullfrogs, and eastern screech owls. Each animal is accompanied by close-up photographs and a related and not-too-obvious fact. “Eastern screech owls avoid predators by stretching their bodies and swaying back and forth like a tree branch.” It’s possible that even adults sharing the book with children might learn something new. The stunning photographs put the animals on full display; the bullfrog’s eye is presented in great detail, down to the ring around its pupil, and readers can even make out the veins in the rabbit’s ears. This makes for a lot of visual interest without being overly busy. Overall, the concise information and images are toddler-friendly, though some of the factoids assume knowledge of topics such as hibernation and predators. Animal books with photos are common board-book fodder, but this one, refreshingly, isn’t merely an alphabetical listing or a simple series of named images. While there isn’t anything groundbreaking here, budding zoologists will appreciate the facts coupled with the photography and a chance to observe animals that are usually seen at a distance. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Eye-catching and informative.