6/10 ( )

I was raised on Zoobooks. I loved Zoobooks. No fuss. Just gave you magazine-quality images of a specific animal, told you where it lived, what it ate, and if humans are killing it.

Now, the vehicle for animal facts is a historical tragedy wrapped in fictional family drama.

I Survived the Attack of the Grizzlies, 1967 just doesn't pack quite the same punch as other entries in the I Survived... series (that should come to no surprise, when other books concern 9/11 and WW2). It feels like a tragedy at the center of changes concerning the culture of American life in National Parks could have played a larger role, but the story feels more interested in a fictional girl's dead mother.

I'm harping on it more than it deserves, I think. My kids and I are still new to this series, but I appreciate them for what they're trying to say. And the timelines and fact-checking epilogues are a nice touch for those wanting to get back to the old days when you were just spoon-fed information from animal magazines. ( )