Help the Animals of South America

Thanks to the brilliant colorations and ingenious paper engineering of Sabuda's endangered creatures, this pop-up quartet handily transcends its genre. Each small-sized volume opens with the statement ``Meet some of the animals of [the particular continent] who need our help.'' Six following spreads present indigenous species along with brief descriptive tags: ``a Louisiana black bear with a sweet, sticky paw,'' ``a mountain zebra with thundering hooves.'' The books' final spreads contain an explanatory ``Note to Parents'' (``It's up to us to save our wildlife''), six points on ``What Parents and Kids Can Do to Help'' and more extensive descriptions of that book's subjects. But the critters themselves--ibis, crocodile, spider monkey, etc.--are the real stars here. In addition to the electric hues used for the animals, the vibrant backgrounds command attention with their simple, carefully chosen scenic motifs: a white-topped mountain peak looms behind the yak, stark white trees on a teal and lime green background border a woodland caribou. Lovely and laudable. Ages 3-up. (Apr.)