Nonfiction That Makes the Grade: Life-Size Reptiles by Hannah Wilson

Life-Size Reptiles (Life-Size Series), the latest title in Sterling Publishing's series of super-sized nature nonfiction books, provides solid science in as eye-catching a format as can be designed into a traditional book. Billed as the "deadliest, weirdest, most ferocious" reptiles known in nature, it offers information wedded to illustrative content which is sure to entrance elementary readers.

Divided taxonomically into the four divisions of reptilia--lizards, snakes, turtles and tortoises, and crocodiles--author Hannah Wilson does not have to yield to exaggeration to enhance the facts of her fascinating subjects. The amazing species of reptiles and their astounding characteristics are enough to evoke a gee-whiz response at every turn of the large-format (13.8 x 10.5 inch) pages. From the lady bug-sized dwarf gecko to the ten-foot Komodo Dragon and the 26-foot, one-ton saltwater crocodile, from the basilisk lizard which walks on water to the venomous Pacific sea snake which can remained submerged for more than three hours, there are plenty of exotic and awesome beasts to learn about. There are well-known animals such as the marine iguana and the 33-foot giant anaconda, and many little-known but curious creatures such as the armadillo lizard which rolls itself into a ball and actually grips its tail with its mouth to present itself as an unappetizing meal for predators.

The real gimmick for these outstanding illustrations is the format, which displays its larger reptiles on fold-out pages--four three-page gatefolds and three four-page gatefolds which extend the horizontal dimension of the page to a full 40.5 inches. This enormous span is enough to show the head and upper body of the Galapagos tortoise, the head of the giant saltwater crocodile, and the head and shoulders of the Komodo dragon at actual size. Many smaller animals, such as the face and fully extended orange frill of the frilled lizard and the full-length tokay gecko are shown with the LIFE-SIZE stamp. Other creatures such as the Chinese alligator (shown transporting its newly hatched young tenderly in its mouth), the gharial, or the leatherback turtle are shown with the proportional human hand stamp to show their relative size.

The solid science writing includes a background discussion of the relation between dinosaurs and reptiles and birds and a discussion of endangered and threatened reptiles such as the hawkbill turtle, whose habitat is threatened by human changes on their egg-laying beaches.

Other books in the Life-Size Series include Life-Size Dinosaurs (Life-Size Series), Life-Size Sharks and Other Underwater Creatures (Life-Size Series), Life-Size Dragons (Life-Size Series), and Life-Size Killer Creatures (Life-Size Series). Sensational illustrations paired with strong content add up to a kid-pleasing nonfiction series at a genuine bargain price.