Product Description

What animal can smell with its tongue, swallow an animal larger than its own head, and grow to be longer than a school bus? A snake! Pound for pound, snakes are among the strongest of animals. Most people fear snakes, but there are only a few that are dangerous to humans. And if snakes were to disappear, the earth would be overrun with rats and rodents. We all must learn to appreciate these awesome reptiles as a vital part of the global balance of nature.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #765880 in Books
• Published on: 1994-03-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 1-4-- An attractive, well-written easy reader. Demuth looks at how several types of snakes live, what they eat, and how they protect themselves. Comparisons are made between small and large varieties, and between snakes and familiar objects in order to describe their size and weight. Some facts are merely mentioned with little or no follow-up, e.g., How is the snake's venom used for medicine? How does a cobra know to raise its head and look around in response to a snake charmer? Moffatt's cut-paper illustrations are interesting, colorful, and well designed. While not as naturalistic as photographs or some representational art, the collage technique has the advantage of appearing three dimensional and does a fine job of conveying movement and texture. Alexandra Parsons's Amazing Snakes (McKay, 1990) offers similar coverage, and its full-color photographs effectively enhance its informational value. Make a place for Snakes in primary-level nonfiction collections. --Sharron McElmeel, Cedar Rapids Community Schools, IA
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
The dramatic cover photo of an orangey-gold boa snaking from a black background will insure that this doesn't sit long on the shelf. Inside, riveting full-page color photos on every spread and the clearly written (if rather difficult) text on life cycle, anatomy, reproduction, classification, movement, diet, and poisonous snakes will also draw an appreciative audience. Another winner from the prolific, reliable Simon. (Nonfiction. 10-12) -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

--School Library Journal
"Snakes are at their most beguiling in this beautifully photographed, well-organized introduction."

Customer Reviews

Good Book, Poor Quality
My son is 5 and loves this book, the illustrations are fantastic and it is a nice change from actual photos of snakes. That said, within a few days the pages began to come out of the binding and I had to tape the pages together. My son doesn't care, but to me it is a sign of a cheap, poor-quality binding. I would have returned it if he didn't like the book so much.

Snakes
My 5 year old son absolutely adores this book. The pictures are terrific and it had a few of the Cobras which are his favorites. It is also filled with very good information on a large variety of snakes. I think any child interested in snakes should take a look at this one. I plan to purchase more of Seymour Simon's books.

Nice quality book, usefull info
Very well presented book, with good quality photos and its very informative about all the aspects of snake life : reproduction and evolution of a snake is all covered here. Very good book for snake lovers or just someone that is curious about snakes.