Whether a child finds insects fascinating or scary Cathryn Sill’s non-fiction book, About Insects, will and provides a more detailed look at eighteen specific ones. Written for young children, it can be enjoyed by kids as young as three but also by older ones in grades 1-3.
Each two-page spread consists of a simple sentence or phrase on one side and a full page illustration of an insect in its natural habitat on the other. The insects shown include the familiar as well as the more exotic; dogbane leaf beetle, cow killer, elephant stag beetle, praying mantis, monarch butterfly, Virginia ctenuchid moth, black horse fly, southeastern lubber grasshopper, white tail, giant walkingstick, gladiator katydid, small whirligig beetle, silverfish, honey bee, Luna moth, German cockroach, convergent ladybug beetle, and mayfly. The text covers anatomical characteristics, life cycle, feeding habits, methods of movement, diurnal activity and importance to man. An Afterward provides more details on both insects in general and the specific insects featured in the illustrations. We learn, for example, that dragonflies have four wings that move independently and can fly backward, adult Luna moth do not feed at all, and insects smell, feel, and sometimes hear through their antennae. The Afterward is an important feature of the book and is sometimes essential in fully understanding the illustrations. With lots of information, and excellent illustrations this is a good reference book that can be enjoyed for many years by young children
To buy About Insects: A Guide for Children from Amazon.com click here.
Karen Meyers