Moles by Rachel Poliquin, Nicholas John Frith
Published by HMH Books for Young Readers on June 18th 2019
ISBN: 0544951077
Pages: 96
Goodreads

The second in the Superpower Field Guides, Poliquin and Firth once again highlight the adaptations of an animal that are akin to super powers (the first was Beavers). This time the focus is on the mighty mole. Rosalie spends her entire life underground and has developed skills to help her build tunnels, move dirt, find worms, and survive in a world devoid of sunshine or fresh air. Poliquin has a fantastic voice, writing with genuine affection for her subject and joy for her audience (I can imagine her chucking a kid on his arm as the kid reads amazing facts aloud and saying, “I know, right!?!”). She uses scientific terms and a lot of stretch vocabulary; a glossary is included in the back of the book. Firth’s illustrations were created using a mixture of black ink, pencil, and wax crayon in a technique known as “preseparation” – the artwork was then colored digitally and the palette of brown, lime green, and coral captures the soil- and worm-filled world of the common mole.  These books are fantastic for  nonfiction or animal lovers in grades 2-5 and would fly off the shelves in a classroom or public library.  They would benefit from an INDEX!  The supersonic Ostrich is next in the series and then the shape-shifting Eel.

Reviewed by Jill O’Connor, Merrill Memorial Library, Yarmouth