My personal opinion - the rhythmic text seemed forced and almost unnecessary. I think I would have liked this better if it were presented less as eulogistic narrative and more as a science book. There is a good author's note. A map would be even more helpful, but I imagine the websites mentioned include maps.

The pictures are fabulous and should be the focus. They're lovely to look at, detailed and clear, and accurate. I will def. look for more by [a:Laura Regan|2799361|Laura Regan|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66-4df4c878d4149c45fac159e88cb784ad.jpg]. But Yolen is one of those famous & popular authors that just doesn't work for me, sorry. ( )

Excellent vocabulary, amazing use of 'exciting verbs'. Example from p. 17:
"Palmetto bugs, like shiny brown leaves, weave in and out of the grass. They pass spiderwebs spun out across resurrection ferns that the first soft rains have startled into life."

In the Everglades, what may look like a smooth, silent carpet of flowing grass is a world teeming with life. Amid tree islands and mangrove roots are animals on the prowl. A tuft-eared bobcat gives an eerie yoooooowl, a raccoon carefully washes his food, an osprey guts a fish, and an alligator waits with shroudlike eyes for a redbelly turtle to swim too close. From creatures that fly to those that crawl, here is the cycle of life in the Everglades, presented in lilting, poetic words and lush, dramatic images.