Horn Book

These additions to Eaton's informational picture series (The Truth About Elephants, rev. 1/19; and others) are characteristically odd, exuberant, and instructive. Straightforward content is presented through expository text in a large, bold typeface. Lively cartoons offer additional details—and plenty of jokes. While human children are shown actively learning about the titular creatures, the butterflies and hawks (among other animals) talk with one another and react to the facts, often with wit. After the child in Butterflies declares those to be her "favorite with wings," for example, a bird sarcastically and disapointingly remarks, "Wow. Okay." Pen-and-ink illustrations, colored digitally with stron black outlines and solid color fills, threaten to overwhelm each spread, but sidebars, word balloons, labels, and other visual elements function as effective organizers. Breif back matter adds further context about wingspans, migratory routes, and more.