Baby Alligator written by Aubrey Lang with photographs by Wayne Lynch. Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2022. $7.95 ages 5 and up

"An alligator is a powerful and 

graceful swimmer. The female's 
strong, flat tail moves like a 
snake from side to side and 
pushes her through the water
very quickly and quietly."

I cannot tell you how happy I am to see these new additions to the Nature Babies series. While I was still teaching and working as a teacher-librarian, I used them in classroom studies and as suggested nonfiction for the kids in our K-5 school. 

This wife and husband team do a superb job of bringing nature and its many inhabitants to young readers. The writing is straightforward and very informative, telling readers a clear story of the first months in the life of many young creatures. They are geared toward 5-8-year olds with clear, contextual photographs. Readers learn about habitat, diet, parenting, predators, the hunt for food and the search for safety. The focus onone species at a time proves very valuable.  

Each book offers a Did You Know page of further facts and an index to help readers return to their favorite pages.  

During a quick search I found a list of 26 other titles. I am not sure if they are all in print, but they are worthy of your attention.                                                                             

And here is the second of the newest ones: 

"Once the second chick hatches, 
she joins her sister on the water. 
The parents lead them to a shallow
area of the lake where they catch
water insects to feed the small 
chicks. The baby loons copy
everything their parents do."