For those with children having serious interests in amphibians and reptiles and who need an up-to-date, simple identification guide (to be used with a Peterson Guide), this is the one. This large-format, soft cover book has the current scientific names, excellent illustrations, and pertinent comments about controversies concerning names, variable characters, and lack of knowledge or research under way to clarify unknowns. Each named species is referenced to a page in the Peterson Field Guide (either Eastern U.S. or Western) with a notation if the names in current use are different. Although aimed at college courses, a younger (or older!) person with commitment will find this book very helpful for identifying unknown animals. A fine glossary helps with the vocabulary needed to describe various features and large, clear diagrams highlight the critical characters that help in identification.

How I wished for such a key when I taught herpetology. I was forced to use decades-old keys, some imbedded in large, heavy books. I would have to provide the current scientific names, as increased knowledge slowly led to revisions of the different species and family groups, or make additions to include the newly described species. That was a real chore, requiring hours of journal reading each week just to keep up, hoping that I did not miss a revision.

There are very few typographical errors. Those I found are blanks or "00" for page numbers to be filled in as the book reached the final printing stage. Surely, these trivial problems will be resolved in later printings.