Snakes by: Jeff Corwin (Non Fiction)

This is a descriptive non fiction book all about snakes.  Jeff Corwin first talks about the types of places that snakes live in such as deserts, jungles, forests, etc.  Pythons are the longest snakes, and thread snakes are the shortest.  He describes what venom is, and how some snakes are venomous and others aren't.  Snakes are reptiles, which means that they are also cold blooded.  Their temperature changes as the temperature around them changes.  An example of this is when snakes lay out in the sun to warm up, and this is called basking.  One of the most amazing things about snakes is that they give birth to their babies in different ways.  Some snakes lay eggs like birds, and others give live birth.  When snakes grow, their body gets too big for their skin.  To remedy this, the snake sheds off their skin.  The rest of the book talks about ten different types of snakes that are the most interesting and popular.  Some of these snakes include the black mamba, rattlesnake, sea snake, king cobra, and a garter snake.

I would have this book on my bookshelf in the classroom for my students to use for independent reading.  Students begin to read non fiction when they are in third grade and snakes are a hot topic for children, especially at that age.  I like how this book is organized and has real photographs of actual snakes.