Together Forever! (National Geographic Kids: Chapters)

Gr 2-5-This title contains all the ingredients for great, accessible nonfiction: stories featuring unlikely and heartwarming animal friendships, adorable photographs, and engaging trivia. However, the tales are uninspiring and meandering, and the overall result is somewhat flat. Visually, the book is appealing, with colorful borders, informational sidebars, and fun "Did You Know" tidbits. But the three main stories (each divided into three chapters) are slow and bland. VERDICT With so many exceptional animal selections already on library shelves (e.g., K.A. Applegate's The One and Only Ivan and Lindsay Mattick's Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear), this mediocre offering will be easy to pass up.-Laura Lintz, Henrietta Public Library, Rochester, NY