SNAKES!

The author of more than 100 books for children and teens has produced another winner in this attractive compendium of intriguing snake facts. As with other titles in the Strange and Wonderful series, the author fosters an appreciation of all living things as he focuses on unusual features of his subject. Here he describes how snakes move, hunt their prey, avoid enemies, and survive in a variety of habitats. He introduces a few snakes from around the world, including boomslangs, cobras, rattlesnakes, and boas. Full-color drawings on every page are dramatic and visually satisfying. Many drawings extend the text, for example, the illustrator includes a series of drawings to show how snakes move or shed their skins, and magnified drawings to show different types of snake scales. The author concludes with an afterword on people and snakes. This handsome science title will slide off the shelf. (Nonfiction. 7-10)