Rodent Rascals by Roxie Munro

I feel like Munro isn't very well-known in the easy nonfiction genre, but I have quite a few kids who enjoy her books. They work well across age groups and this new title is a favorite for us, due to our library gerbils.

Each animal gets a life-size picture, starting small with the pygmy jerboa and working all the way up to the snooty nose of a capybara, all that fits on the page. As the animals get larger, they start stretching across pages, like the beaver whose tail is on one spread and the rest is on the following pages. The rodents are shown in motion, running on wheels, nibbling snacks, or just posed against the bold white backgrounds. Each has a paragraph of description to themselves, listing their unique qualities. Readers will learn that the male house mouse sings to his mate, about famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil, and about the unique sounds made by a capybara. White outlines of the various rodents are shown on the endpages (not to scale) and there is a detailed introduction, additional information on each animal, glossary, sources, suggested websites, and index in the back.

Verdict: A great introduction to this oft-maligned family of animals, this book is sure to intrigue rodent-lovers and pique their interest. It can work as a read-aloud, and young children will enjoy looking at the pictures, but it is better suited to browsing and research by 2nd to 3rd graders in my opinion.

ISBN: 9780823438600; Published January 2018 by Holiday House; Purchased for the library