Christiane Gunzi

This book begins with a very clear table of contents which would be helpful when using it as a research piece in your classroom. Students would easily be able to look up how they are raised, hunt. communicate, the first big cats, or which are in dangered. I found that the way this book goes from section to section is a good progression that students would be able to follow. THis begins by pointing out characteristics that the big cats have in common, such as long tails, sleek fur coats, long legs, strong jaws, sensitive whiskers, a keen sense of smell, sharp eyes and good hearing. It gives descriptions about each and how they are helpful to the big cats. It also uses timelines as a tool to show growth in the section on raising the young cubs. I also really liked how it showed the different facial features of the big cats and how the changes mean different moods.… (meer)

I had mixed feelings about this book after reading it. I found the descriptive diagrams of the whales length, body parts, and the process of giving birth to be quite interesting. I did find that the book did become a little boring after about the 8th page because it felt like I was reading a textbook. If the book was written in a narrative format with characters and had a story line, then I feel that the readers would be more engaged. The main message of this book is to tell the difference between dolphins and whales by stating facts about each.… (meer)