Early Readers Go wild! Pandas and Sea Turtles

 To be completely honest, what I REALLY want from National Geographics is first, a whole new set of early readers and second, updated editions of all their earlier early readers, especially the lower level titles. They're my most popular early nonfiction and I recently weeded my collection only to discover that many were either unavailable or outdated. Sigh. However, I will take this new easy series in lieu of what I really want!

Go Wild! is similar to the early reader in that it features different animals, a combination of food and colorful graphic, geometric shapes, and simple facts and information about the animals. Their layout is slightly different, in that they are 8x8 squares, instead of the typical rectangle of an easy reader.

Pandas talks about where they live, their size, abilities, and diet, and how they are related to other bears. A yellow half-moon at the top of the left page tells readers what each spread is about, food, relatives, size, communication, etc. The book ends with a few ways readers can help pandas, some quizzes and a simple glossary, and suggestions for parents and teachers of activities and curriculum connections.

Sea Turtles introduces young readers to a similar set of facts, including the diet of sea turtles, their habitat, babies, and some of the threats to their wellbeing. Sounds and exclamations sprinkle the pages, with facts like "A group of eggs in a sea turtle's nest is called a clutch." There's also a timeline of a green turtle's life and a quiz to see what kind of food a turtle eats.

The books are available in hardcover and some in library binding; the hardcovers are very inexpensive with a discounted price of just over $5 while the library bound editions are about $15. The font is large, usually white on a colored background, and the text complex but not too much so. I'd say they are best suited for a 1st or 2nd grade reader, one who also enjoys the National Geographic easy readers, especially the level 2 and 3 titles.

Verdict: A good addition to any easy nonfiction collection, featuring two popular animals and with some helpful activities for teachers. The cheap hardcovers do not have sturdy bindings and I would say it's worth paying a little more to get the library bound editions, if they are available.

Pandas
ISBN: 9781426371608

Sea Turtles
ISBN: 9781426371585

Published June 2021 by National Geographic Kids; Review copies provided by publisher