Elephant tails can be 5 feet long, African elephants can be 13 feet high and Asian elephants can weigh 12,000 pounds. These are just a few of the many fascinating facts children will learn by reading this book. Children may know that elephants do have good memories, but they might not have known that elephants walk on tiptoes, flap their big ears to keep cool, and that their trunks can reach higher than a giraffe. Wonderful photographs accompany the interesting text.

With a story-like text and crisp, interesting photographs, children will enjoy learning that there are 60 species of kangaroos and that some males can be 7 feet tall and weigh more than 200 pounds. Their hind legs are specially built for hopping and kangaroos can leap higher than 6 feet. Most children may know that the baby joey is carried in the mother's pouch, but they are sure to enjoy the illustration of the mother cleaning the pouch. Also interesting is the way kangaroos communicate with each other with hissing and clucking - great ideas for role-playing being a kangaroo!

Children will learn that koalas are marsupials, not bears, and that they live in eucalyptus trees and love to eat the leaves. The powerful koala jaws have 30 teeth for chewing and they can eat more than a pound of leaves per day. Descriptions of the physical characteristics and the behavior of koalas are matched to clear, crisp color photographs. Young children will understand and enjoy this informative and attractive book.

In an interesting book with beautiful color photographs, children will learn the sad fact that there are only 1000 wild Pandas alive in their native China. Even young children can be taught to understand the consequences of destroying wild animals' habitat and that it is not a good thing. This book could start a worthwhile discussion about endangered species and caring for the planet. It is never too early to help children understand that individual and societal actions have an impact on the environment and living things.