K-Gr 4-Written like adventure stories, these books describe how a mother cares for her offspring in the wild. In the first title, a Nile crocodile watches as her eggs hatch and then carries nearly 50 babies to a nearby waterhole. The youngsters can find their own food, but they need their mother to keep them safe from numerous predators. In the second offering, a Bengal tiger looks after her three cubs, hunting for them, protecting them, and nuzzling and nursing them. The narratives are told simply but with some drama and are illustrated with colorful, detailed paintings. While animals are hunted and captured, there is no gore. The text is set over the artwork in boxes for easy reading. Each book ends with a brief page of facts and an impressive four-page foldout depicting its subject's habitat and some of the other indigenous creatures. Use these titles with beginning readers or even pre-readers in storytime to pique an interest in nature.-Susan Oliver, Tampa-Hillsborough Public Library System, FL Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
