A
Review of Don’t Make Me Rattle! By Helene Woodhams
Arizona
Daily Star:
“A rattle from a reptile is not a welcome sound, but if it makes you tread
carefully, it’s served its purpose, says Tucson author Elaine A. Powers. In a
picture book chock-full of rattlesnake facts, she emphasizes the good they do
(eating rodents, scattering seeds, and aiding cancer research), as she imparts
interesting reptilian lore.
For instance, although toxic to those on the receiving end,
venom acts like saliva for a rattlesnake, a necessary digestive aid since they
lack teeth for chewing. And rattlers are surprisingly social creatures who bunk
together when it’s cold–forming a ‘rhumba’ of rattlers. An unabashed
rattlesnake fan, Powers bemoans how willingly we exterminate them, largely
because they look so unlovable.
She gets no argument there from illustrator Nicholas Thorpe,
whose threatening rattlesnake pictures, some with mouths agape and dripping
venom, are undeniably scary. The third in the “Don’t” series is for
kids in grades K-4.”
