Animal Groups: How Animals Live Together. (Animal Behaviour). Etta Kaner. Illustrated by Pat Stephens. Toronto, ON: Kids Can, 2004. 40 pp., pbk. & cl., $6.95 (pbk.), $14.95 (cl.). ISBN 1-55337-338-3 (pbk.), ISBN 1-55337-337-5 (cl.). Subject Headings: Social behavior in animals-Juvenile literature. Animal behavior-Juvenile literature. Grades 3-6 / Ages 8-11. Review by Gillian Richardson. *** /4

excerpt:

If you were a flamingo...

. your family would live in a colony of thousands.

. you would teach your baby to recognize your voice by pressing your head against the hatching egg and calling to your chick.

. you would feed your chick a nutritious red liquid that comes from glands in your throat.

. your chick, along with hundreds of other chicks, would be cared for in a creche by babysitter flamingos when you are away hunting for food.

Another in the “Animal Behaviour” series, Animal Groups: How Animals Live Together examines what constitutes an animal family and why animals often live in groups. The six sections briefly titled in the Table of Contents each cover one aspect of group living: teamwork for efficient food gathering, protection, communal raising of young, cooperative play, grooming and the phenomenon of aggregation (gathering in large numbers at times like migration and hibernation). Clear, easy-to-read explanations are illustrated by specific species examples. Six sidebars each introduce a single animal species and describe specific details of family life (If you were a ......). Three activities are included: a match-up using various group names, a demonstration of cooperative play, and a counting activity to compare migration distances.

     The illustrations are big, bright and appealing as well as clearly labelled for the most part. This is important as the species used are world-wide examples, some of which may not be familiar to North American readers (eg. cichlids, Patagonian cavies). However, while there is description and a drawing of its nest on page 14, there is no illustration of the actual 'cacique.' A couple of errors exist: four labels on page 15 are placed beside the wrong bird pictures (gray jay, song sparrow, Northern Parula warbler and Wilson warbler). The small illustrated “swift” on page 37 does not resemble those dark, short-billed birds in the least.

     Animal Groups offers fascinating information about the living habits of animals. Did you know, for example, that those large swarms of mosquitoes you might see hovering are males (non-biting) waiting for mates to come along? The book may entice readers in the early elementary grades to explore these topics further. An Index is included, although it is mainly a listing of animal species names rather than topics or concepts.

Recommended.

A freelance writer and former teacher-librarian, Gillian Richardson lives in BC.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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