I would recommend this book to 2nd-5th grade students. This book shows many facts about rattlesnakes and shows photos of them. This would be good in the classroom for students who are interested in learning facts about snakes and want a resource for this reptile.

Picture-book author/artist and natural historian Jim Arnosky turns to one of the most feared creatures of the Americas in this fourth entry in his All About... series, devoted to different kinds of animals. Here he explores the world of the rattlesnake, a poisonous reptile known for the distinctive rattling sound it makes. Arnosky describes the different kinds of rattlesnake - there are thirty-one different species - their anatomy, and their habits. Their regular shedding of skin is discussed, as are the animals they hunt, and the animals that hunt them, from road runners to humans. The author concludes with a message about the importance of these rattlesnakes to the natural world, and a plea for humans to leave them alone...

Like so many of Arnosky's other titles, including the preceding books in this series, All About Rattlesnakes is an engaging work of picture-book non-fiction for younger children, pairing an informative and educational text with lovely artwork. Although I wouldn't want to run into one in the wild, there is no doubt that rattlesnakes are fascinating, beautiful creatures, who deserve their place in the world. I appreciated Arnosky's message to that effect, and I enjoyed learning a few things I didn't know, such as the fact that there is a rattlesnake species indigenous to my own state (New York). Somehow, I had assumed they were a western phenomenon. As always, I do wish that Arnosky had included a list of further reading ideas for his young audience, but leaving that aside, I recommend this one to young animal lovers and would-be naturalists. ( )

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597.96

Vivid, fact picture book on rattlesnakes.