LINE UP!

Just like schoolchildren, some animals line up regularly.

Once again, Stockdale invites readers to marvel at the natural world, with examples of creatures who, surprisingly, share characteristics with humans. Dedicating her latest to “children who line up everywhere,” she spotlights animals who do the same. Her interesting choices include creatures likely to be familiar and unfamiliar to the target audience and come from all over the world: mallards, African elephants, white-spotted pufferfish, Arctic wolves, ants, chinstrap penguins, spiny lobsters, and superb fairywrens, among others. Readers who have enjoyed earlier titles will recognize the format. Each spread covers a different species; two smoothly rhyming couplets introduce the creature and a significant fact. On the final spread, as the fairywrens line up on their branch to sleep, an extra couplet offers “sweet dreams” to bedtime listeners, too. The text is set directly on full-bleed images of the lined-up animals. These clean, flat acrylics, featuring solid colors, are simplified but clearly show the animals in their appropriate environments. The rhyme and rhythm make this a pleasure to read aloud; relatively large sans-serif type and repetition of opening lines will help those reading on their own. Backmatter thumbnails are captioned with more information about each of the creatures for the more capable child or adult reader. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Another remarkable reminder of nature’s wonders.