Information Graphics: Animal Kingdom

Illustrator/designer Blechman’s crisp, bold graphics are sure to grab eyeballs in this first book in a series that takes a visual approach to sharing information. Tabs help readers flip between eight chapters devoted to animal species, families, habitats, predators, and more; dogs get their own chapter, which includes a profile view of a canine skeleton, an icon-based guide to dogs’ body language, and simplified portraits of a dozen breeds. While Blechman’s illustrations are extremely eye-catching, many are just that—illustrations. Diagrams that show animals’ comparative speeds, brain sizes, or number of teeth (represented by toothbrushes of increasing length) are clear as can be, but most of the stylish and stylized images still rely on Rogers’s text to convey the nitty-gritty details of the animals’ abilities, habits, and characteristics. That won’t stop animal-loving readers from diving in, though. Ages 6–9. (Apr.)