PreSchool-Grade 3—Large, attention-grabbing watercolor illustrations accurately depict the life of a house sparrow, one of our country's most common nonnative species, including mating, nest-building, and raising chicks. A variety of layouts, from full-page to small vignettes that are still usable with groups of children, makes this a natural for classroom sharing or storytimes. Individual children who spend time one-on-one with the book will discover small dramas at play, such as cats stalking birds and families out for neighborhood walks. The most basic information appears in a large font on the left side of each spread, while other brief, smaller-font paragraphs reveal more specific facts about the creatures' lives, such as how they find food and build nests; thus the reading experience can be tailored to a variety of attention spans. Although this book is a European import, as are house sparrows, the author includes five paragraphs at the book's end about sparrows native to North America. Those who don't mind a bit of anthropomorphizing (a sparrow is scared; fledglings are happy hiding in the bushes) will find this a useful introduction to the annual life cycle of these birds.—Ellen Fader, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.