MAMMALS IN NORTH AMERICA: FROM ARCTIC OCEAN TO TROPICAL RAIN FOREST. Wrigley, Robert E. Wildlife paintings by Dwayne Harty. Winnipeg, Hyperion Press, 1986. 360pp, cloth. $49.95, ISBN 0-920534-33-3. CIP Grades 7 and up Reviewed by Elaine Balpataky Volume 15 Number 4 1987 July Interesting both for contents and organization, this book provides a number of possibilities for teaching. It is first and foremost a collection of stories that have been written to show the daily lives of North American mammals, both large and small. Each story occupies one page and contains just enough plot to create interest. On the opposite page is a full-colour illustration featuring the animal in a typical setting, and occasionally involved in some sort of conflict described in the story. Between stories and illustrations are pages devoted to technical information about each animal, including distribution maps. The stories themselves are grouped into eleven chapters according to the biome in which the mammals in the group are typically found. For example, the chapter entitled "The Cold Oceans" contains stories about the polar bear, several whale and seal species, as well as the walrus. At the beginning of each chapter is a single orange-coloured page which gives the characteristics of the featured biome. A single story or one illustration could be Ubed as (he starting point to the study of one biome or mammal. The teacher could read the story or show the illustration, asking the students to record significant detail. The technical pages could then be used to complete and verify their observations. Lacking a detailed index, the book is not primarily a reference text. However, it could be very useful for group or independent study, especially with teacher direction. Elaine Balpataky, Ingersoll D.C.I., Ingersoll, Ont.