Who hibernates, and why? How do hibernating animals know when to wake up? Why don’t ectotherms, which spend the winter frozen, actually freeze to death? And what is an ectotherm, anyway?

These are just a few of the questions that are answered in the latest book in the Animal Behavior series. Pamela Hickman’s uncomplicated prose and Pat Stephens’ colourful and detailed illustrations are perfect for explicating sometimes complex concepts. Applying the same formula that worked in previous titles, the duo that produced Animals and Their Mates and Animals Eating provide education and entertainment in a magazine-style layout with informative sidebars and interactive activities. Some of these activities would benefit from a little more clarification, however: an exercise on heart-rate variance could better explain the link to energy expenditure in hibernation, and an activity that involves matching various animals with their hibernation hideouts should include more information on how creatures choose their wintering spots, as well as labels to clarify the sketches of those hideouts.

Students using this book to complete class projects will find the index and glossary helpful, but would require clearer headings, especially in the table of contents. This book is also meant to be read for pleasure, however, and will no doubt be enjoyed by young readers with an interest in animal habits.