Open Wide! A Look Inside Animal Mouths

Vivid photographs show a menagerie of animals with their mouths wide open, as rhyming verses describe each animal, including a raccoon, zebra, eel, ostrich, clam, and turtle. Ham’s conversational verse also includes surprising details about the animals’ unique characteristics; of the Komodo dragon, she writes, “For the longest time scientists thought/ Germs sickened their prey so it died/ But now their studies have shown them/ Komodo teeth have poison inside.” Though the verse is not always lyrical and the design is busy and looks dated, it’s a novel way to look at some familiar (and less familiar) animals. Available simultaneously: Step Inside! A Look Inside Animal Homes. Ages 4–7. (Feb.)