LITTLE WONDERS

A sentimental, occasionally anthropomorphic title in the Amazing Things Animals Do series, in which 12 animals from around the world, including the Asian elephant, brown bat, red kangaroo, cuckoo, meerkat, and others, are introduced in two or three paragraphs. The focus is on the care of animal parents or family for the young. Captions extend the idea that they function just like human families, such as ``Upside-Down Nursery'' and ``Penguin Daycare.'' There's even a foster family; Baillie (My Cat, 1994, not reviewed, etc.) lovingly details how the cuckoo lays her eggs in the nest of other birds. Caron embellishes the text with soft, fuzzy drawings and tiny full-color photos. The book concludes with a brief table of animal facts and a question-and-answer game. The syrupy tone limits the usefulness of this title, but it does impart a sense of the nurturing that takes place in animal families, which readers will find reassuring. (Nonfiction. 7-9)