Beavers

Gibbons adds beavers to the list of the animals covered in her long-running series. The spreads combine illustrations, text, panels, insets, and captions to an almost graphic novel–like effect at times, as the beavers build both a dam and a lodge (“Next the beavers arrange branches and stones above the lodge floor. It is the beginning of a dome-shaped structure.” Other sections describe what beavers eat, how they communicate (“They warn other beavers or enemies by whistling, hissing, or growling”), and beaver family life. In informative, succinct, and busy spreads, Gibbons highlights the animals’ extraordinary instincts for structural engineering. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)