"A regal peacock loves to reign
by fanning out his feathered train.
To impress females, peacocks pose in the
best light to display the iridescent eyespots
on their feathers. As a defense, the males
make their shimmering tail feathers as big
as they can to frighten off other animals."
Adaptations in nature are quite marvelous. In this book, Ms. Jameson uses rhyme and rhythm to attract young readers to a variety of animals whose iridescent features help them survive by blending in to their environment or by drawing attention to themselves wherever they are.
Readers will recognize many of those included for their brilliance; others are less well-known. All use their color to communicate, defend themselves, and make adaptations to improve their chances of survival. Each rhyme reveals facts of interest to readers, and is followed by short entries that expand on the learning. It's a great book for reading aloud, and for savoring as it quietly teaches.
"With flashy sleeves, swift dragonflies
zoom around to advertise.
With striking colors on their wings,
dragonflies dart and hover to advertise
for their mates and claim their territory.
They may even point out good spots for
the females to lay their eggs."
In two final spreads (and front and back pages), the author adds eleven additional animals that might be researched, and a summary explanation of iridescence, its features, and its scientific importance to learning today. Digital illustrations by Dave Murray are worthy of such descriptors as sparkling, shiny, radiant, dazzling. Readers will be awed by their colors, the settings and the perspectives.
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