OF KINKAJOUS, CAPYBARAS, HORNED BEETLES, SELADANGS ...

OF KINKAJOUS, CAPYBARAS, HORNED BEETLES, SELADANGS by Jeanne K. Hanson and Deane Morrison (HarperPerennial: $9, illustrated). This pleasant, if unremarkable, natural history book recalls the old “Nature’s Wonders” newspaper panel of the 1950s. It’s chock full of read-aloud, “imagine that” facts about various fauna and flora: A 5- to 6-foot electric eel can deliver a shock of 650 volts--enough to kill a human; the familiar, bland oyster mushroom secretes a toxin that kills nematodes, which it then digests through tiny fibers, and so on. Parents might use this book to distract their children during long car trips.