Nonfiction Monday: Who eats what? Arctic food chains by Rebecca Pettiford

Yep, that's blood. No sentimentalizing of animals here - this is real life and these critters have to eat!

The book explains the basics of the Arctic biome, then explains a food chain. It uses precise language, "predator", "consumer", and "producer" and clearly shows each part of a simple food chain. In the sample, plants grow to feed a hare, the hare is eaten by a fox, the fox is eaten by a lynx, eventually the lynx dies. Its body is eaten by scavengers and broken down by insects and then feeds more plants which restart the cycle.

The book ends with a brief note about global warming, an activity encouraging the reader to build a food web, a glossary and index.

It just so happens that I've been looking for more specifically about the Arctic tundra, but regardless this was quite good. It's at an intermediate level and would work both as a read-aloud to younger, struggling children or in independent reading for elementary kids starting to research topics. The photos are realistic but not unduly gory and the simple graphs and diagrams are easy to follow.

Verdict: A great series to introduce younger kids to different biomes and the food chains within them. Recommended.

ISBN: 9781620313006; Published 2016 by Pogo/Jump; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library