Elementary Grades Non-Fiction

REVIEWERS: Alida Allison

* denotes San Diego writer and/or illustrator
** Age levels, when provided by the publishers, are included in the bibliographical information. Otherwise, category placements are our best approximations.

• Fleisher, Paul. Desert Food Webs. Minneapolis: Lerner, 2008. ISBN 978-0-8225- 6728-8.
• Fleisher, Paul. Forest Food Webs. Minneapolis: Lerner, 2008. ISBN 978-0-8225- 6729-5.

 

Fleisher, Paul. Desert Food Webs. Minneapolis: Lerner, 2008. ISBN 978-0-8225- 6728-8.

Fleisher, Paul. Forest Food Webs. Minneapolis: Lerner, 2008. ISBN 978-0-8225- 6729-5.

Fleisher’s series focuses on the” food web,” a more inviting and apt metaphor than the food “chain.” Starting with a multidimensional diagram demonstrating the intricate relationships within a habitat, the book discusses sun, plants, and animals in a sequence of energy exchanges, ending with the decomposers. This format is clear and works well discussing any ecosystem; the books are solidly written, colorful, and well laid -out. Many of the photographs are stunning. An adult especially enjoys the photographs of habitats and close-ups reprinted from collections like the Getty and Visual Unlimited, knowing how impossible it would be in real life to see such scenes.

Recommended for budding scientists, nature lovers, schools, and libraries.

A. Allison