Lizards, by Nic Bishop (ages 6 - 12)

Nic Bishop is an extraordinary photographer, who produces books that draw children in with their vivid, close-up pictures. If you have a child who's fascinated by animals, I highly recommend getting several of his books. They will draw you right in, fascinate you with all sorts of information you didn't know, and make you eager to discover more about animals all around us.

Lizards
by Nic Bishop
NY: Scholastic, 2010
ages 6 - 12
Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students, 2011
available on Amazon and at your local library

Bishop introduces lizards from around the world, combining phenomenal photography with clear writing and fresh information. Bishop's books are ones that I have seen students start to browse through, and then settle down to read the text in full - time after time. While many science books overwhelm children with too much writing, Bishop pares down his words to essential information that fascinates young readers and draws them into reading to find out more.

Bishop shares information about lizards' habitats, specialized bodies, behaviors and feeding. Kids will love reading about a variety of lizards, from the tiny dwarf gecko, “small enough to curl up on your thumbnail,” to the Komodo dragon, “the world’s largest venomous animal.”

Bishop's brilliant color photographs are truly eye-catching. He conveys the nubby texture of lizard skin, the color and shading of some lizards, and the athletic ability of other lizards. Two foldout pages show a basilisk skimming the surface of the water, running frame by frame.

Especially fascinating is Bishop's note at the end of the book about how he photographed many of these lizards. You and your child will laugh as Bishop describes auditioning several veiled chameleons, creating the perfect environment and then setting up a scene to photograph it as it used its tongue to nab a cricket. It took 6 weeks and over 120 crickets to get the perfect shot, but the result is outstanding. Bishop has captured the

Also explore Bishop’s books on butterflies and moths, spiders, marsupials and frogs. The review copy came from our local library. If you make a purchase using the Amazon links on this site, a small portion will go to Great Kid Books (at no cost to you). Thank you for your support!

Review ©2011 Mary Ann Scheuer, Great Kid Books.