Lisa Doucet Reviews Peggy Kochanoff’s Be a Camouflage Detective
Be a Camouflage Detective
Peggy Kochanoff
Nimbus Publishing
(Ages 4-8)
This newest addition to the Be a Wilderness Detective series explores the fascinating topic of camouflage and how a wide range of creatures in various habitats manage to disguise themselves as a means of protection. It examines how some animals are fortunate that their natural colouring enables them to blend into their surroundings, or that they look like something unappealing to predators (like the caterpillar that looks like bird poop!) while others are able to bury themselves in the sand, or hide, or confuse predators with their colour or markings. Then there are squid that release ink into the water, to hide themselves, temporarily stun their predators and escape!
Once again, Kochanoff has created an information-packed book that is filled with intriguing facts about the natural world. She employs the same format as in her previous books, with each section beginning with a question and followed by the response: “Hmmm…Let’s look closely and find out.”
And that is precisely what she does, giving young readers a brief and easily understandable description of each animal, how and what it eats and how it hides from or outsmarts its predators. The information is presented simply and accessibly, with lovely watercolour illustrations to depict each creature and to engage young readers. A glossary at the back is a helpful addition, but the book could have benefitted from a table of contents and/or an index. Nevertheless, young nature enthusiasts will undoubtedly learn many new things in these pages, and will hopefully be inspired to continue their explorations.
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