Reindeer

Kindergarten-Grade 3-A well-organized, well-illustrated book about the behavior and habits of reindeer around the world. Each page features a simple, stylized, one-dimensional, pastel picture with clear, easy-to-read text below. Block-print reindeer tracks move along each page in various positions, creating a common connecting thread throughout the book. Several of the illustrations are labeled. Simple and straightforward sentences describe the animals' migration, feeding and breeding habits, and facts about body adaptations. The only flaw in the text is the statement that "In North America reindeer have been given the name caribou." At least in Alaska, there is a distinction between wild caribou and domesticated reindeer. The strength of this book lies in its simplicity. The text is direct, yet filled with interesting facts, and the illustrations are visually appealing, whimsical, and easy to grasp. Like the reindeer, this text covers a lot of ground.
Roz Goodman, Bering Strait School District Media Center, Unalakleet, AK
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Collaborators on three other nature titles (Eagles, p. 392, etc.; The Girl Who Wanted to Hunt, see above), husband-and-wife team Emery and Durga Bernhard have joined again to create Reindeer, a factual account of the habits and lives of these marvelous horned animals. Children will learn where reindeer live, why their antlers grow, what they eat, their migration patterns, how reindeer calves are born, who their enemies are, and how their lives have intersected with those of humans living in proximity to them. The text is simple and easy to follow; its straightforward manner will appeal even to very young readers. And children of all ages will respond to the strong outlines and bold imaginative colors that give the illustrations an elemental quality. A glossary adds to the usefulness of this fine book on a fascinating cold-weather creature. (Nonfiction/Picture book. 4-8) -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.