Salamanders x 2

Salamander Dance by David FitzSimmons (2016) has lovely paintings by Michael DiGiorgio. the Salamander Room by Ann Mazer (1991) has lovely paintings by Lou Fancher and Steve Johnson. Both books teach readers something about the salamander’s habitat, yet they do so in dramatically different ways.

Ann Mazer’s story is so clever. It’s a conversation between mother and child – an engaging way to teach content. The illustrations gradually fill more white space with each page as readers accumulate more knowledge about what a salamader needs to live. It’s fine storytelling.

Fitzsimmons’ book is a chronological description of salamanders lives: spring drives them to vernal pools to dance and lay eggs. Larvae hatch and trasform from aquatic to land loving creatures. Summer and fall sends them into forest burrows and winter finds them hibernating. There’s backmater and a glossary. This book introduces the young reader to nonfiction, academic-like text.