School Library Journal

“Each of these introductions opens by describing a human encounter with the featured creature. In Komodo Dragon, a park ranger in Indonesia was mauled by one of the giant lizards, transmitting virulent bacteria with its bites. Dart Frogs tells of a South American tribesman who collects golden poison dart frogs and harvests their toxic secretions for hunting. In Box Jellyfish, an Australian girl miraculously survived being stung by one of the deadly invertebrates while swimming in a river. In following chapters, the white text, set on the backgrounds of photo spreads, briefly describes the animals’ physical and behavioral characteristics; habitats; hunting and feeding methods; use of poison, its make-up and potency-particularly the effect on humans; safety precautions, etc. Most of the photo spreads are clear, but some depictions of animals fall into the gutters, obscuring details. Marty Crump’s Mysteries of the Komodo Dragon (Boyds Mills, 2010) traces the work of various scientific researchers who studied the reptiles. Carmen Bredeson’s Poison Dart Frogs Up Close (Enslow Elementary, 2008), aimed at younger readers, focuses primarily on key body parts. The introductions, with their perspective on the deadly nature of these animals, will be useful additions.