NO ONE TOLD THE AARDVARK

The notion of connecting personal human habits, such as eating and bathing, to the animal kingdom provides an imaginative backdrop for learning animal behavior. The child who narrates recalls that the crossing guard instructed him to look both ways before crossing; he notes that his angelfish can look left and right simultaneously. A crocodile doesn't have to brush its teeth—plovers pick them clean. In this manner, readers learn that elephants take dust showers, raccoons stay up all night, and chimpanzees eat with fingers and toes. Most comparisons work well, with one exception: Despite a statement that the hermit crab doesn't have to clean its room but just find a new home, it is known to ``clean house'' before moving. Crocodiles grin, baby kangaroos peek from pouches, and aardvarks stick out their tongues in these friendly watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations. Investigative minds can further explore the facts presented in an expanded illustrated glossary at the back of the book. (Picture book. 4-8)