Slither and Crawl: Eye to Eye with Reptiles

This was a gift to an 11 year old, and the author was suggested by the parent. This is a large hard cover book with very nice illustrations and interesting facts about the animals. It was an immediate hit with the child that received it.

When Jim Arnosky was a boy, he dreamed of creepy, crawly critters like many other kids and reptiles definitely fit the description. Reptiles can't warm themselves "internally the way birds and mammals can" and that is why, if have any in your area, you often find them sunning themselves on rocks to warm up or hiding in cool spots to cool off. The reptile species includes "turtles, snakes, lizards and crocodilians." The majority of the reptiles talked about or illustrated in this book are North American.Both the person who wants to read about reptiles or simply browse the magnificent illustrations, will be more than satisfied. In this book you will learn many interesting facts including unique physical facts about each group, how many species there are, their sizes, how you can distinguish the difference between a limbless lizard and a snake, where they live, what they eat, why these critters are skittish, where they hibernate, how they protect themselves, the difference between a crocodile and an alligator, why some became endangered species and a bit about the non-native python. In the back of the book are additional recommended book resources.You're just going to open this book and say, "Oh, yeah!" Jim Arnosky seems to get better with each book he writes and illustrates, if that can happen. The description of each species is clear and concise, but what really makes this book are the stunning illustrations. There are four fold-out pages teeming with life-size reptiles that just seem to pop right out at the reader. For example on the snake's fold-out there is a nest of snakes, including a banded-water snake, a diamondback rattlesnake, a copperhead, a cottonmouth moccasin, a kingsnake, a coral snake, an orange rate snake, a blue racer, a garter snake a tree boa, a northern water snake, a cobra and an anaconda. This book is going to make some youngster's eyes just shine with delight! (Oh, yeah!)