Rats

April 15, 2012
Grades 3-5 The sunglasses and fedoras added to the covers of these odd pet books aren't convincingly cool, but some of the info inside succeeds in the hard sell, blending history and factoids with relevant day-to-day info on pet care. The general antipet store attitude (in favor of breeders) is well advised. Considering the other beasts in this series, Rats makes its subject look pretty darn cute. Merely rat-proof your home, prepare for the short lifespan, and learn to appreciate bruxingthe rat equivalent to purring. Decent pictures and a spacious layout make the Far-Out and Unusual Pets series fun, though further investigation on each pet will be required.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2012
Crisp close-up photos of these unconventional pets enhance accessible, exclamation-point-heavy texts. Each book offers some information about the titular animal's behavior and habits before discussing how to care for the creature in the home; also covered is the amount of responsibility required for each of these pets. "Far Out!" text boxes provide additional tidbits of interest. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)