101 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS ABOUT BACKYARD WILDLIFE

A compendium of backyard trivia that leaves out more questions than it answers. In chapters dealing with birds, bees, butterflies, bugs, moles, mice, cold-blooded creatures, and ``other weird wildlife,'' she satisfies the curiosity readers may have about birds' nests, why ducks preen their feathers, owl pellets, fireflies, and much more. But some of the creatures highlighted—fleas, ducks, cranes, owls, gulls, penguins, and rattlesnakes—are not exactly backyard wildlife. The information can be capricious or inadequate, e.g., much is made of birds' hearing, but Squire never explains just how they hear. In another example, she comments on pigeon nests, but never answers the question most children have about that bird—where are the baby pigeons? Overall the book is mildly interesting but hampered by a scattershot approach to an inherently fascinating subject. (b&w illustrations) (Nonfiction. 10+)