Giant Lizards!

Kalman, Bobbie. 2005. Endangered komodo dragons. New York: Crabtree Publishing Company.

Bobbie Kalman's, Earth's Endangered Animals Series acquaints students with the endangered komodo dragon and its habitat, physical characteristics, life cycle, eating habits, and endangered species information. This is a non-fiction title that is used by students for both entertainment and the purpose of learning information about the komodo dragon.

The use of factboxes, photographs, headings, sub-headings, and diagrams convey information about the komodo dragon. Colors behind the factboxes aid in "easability" of reading. Photographs throughout show komodo dragons in various scenarios such as hunting for food, hiding in self-dug burrows, and in various stages of growth. Bold text of glosary words further assist readers in attaining facts.

My favorite part of the book dealt with the explanation of Komodo National Park, a park built especially for the protection and conservation of the komodo dragon. This section of the book explains why komodo dragon's are endangered and the steps being taken by scientists to make sure that komodos are around for much longer.

Recommended for grades 2-4.

Keywords: Komodo dragon, Endangered species.