WILDERNESS DISCOVERIES

From Lake Michigan’s dunes through transition forests to the boreal forests and wetlands in the region’s north, a television host introduces inhabitants of three Great Lakes ecosystems from an intelligent-design perspective.

“Within every ecosystem, each plant and animal is designed to serve a specific purpose in God's creation.” While this proposition is not accepted by the great majority of scientists, it is repeatedly put forth, through examples and Biblical quotations, in this appreciation of the Great Lakes’ natural world. Schriemer defines his terms, introduces "HOMES" as a mnemonic to remember the five lake names and provides a map showing Michigan at their heart. He then introduces each ecosystem, with examples of characteristic animals and a plant for each. Each creature has a page with an explanation of its name, a short description of its appearance and behavior, a “crazy cool fact” and several color photographs. The images are not large, and a few are difficult to see—as are the animals themselves—but most will give young readers a good idea of what to look for. A DVD (not seen) is packaged with books in this series, which also includes the less well-written Ocean Adventures, about habitats of Hawaii. There are no sources or index in either book.