Do All Spiders Spin Webs?: Questions and Answers about Spiders ANNOTATION
Questions and answers present information about spiders, arranged in the categories "Amazing Creatures," "Web Spinners," "Spiders that Hunt," and "Living with Spiders."
FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Literature
Readers will quickly find the answers to such questions as¾"How strong is a spider's silk thread? Do spiders make sounds? How did a spider help win a war?" Other details are also covered about the variety of spiders and how they spin webs. The magenta-colored questions are followed by clear and succinct answers in black type. Readers will learn how they can collect webs and ways to help spiders. Full page colored drawings relate to the questions posed on the opposite page. The drawings show many types of spiders and their distinctly different webs. The index allows the reader to quickly find specific information. Part of the well designed "Scholastic Question and Answer" series, this title is appropriate for researchers. Browsers, too, will enjoy it and will be fascinated to learn that "if you could weigh all the insects that spiders eat in one year, they would weigh more than all the people on Earth!" 2000, Scholastic,
School Library Journal
Gr 3-5-Solid chunks of information are offered in these short introductions that answer questions related to their respective subjects. The questions are practical, down-to-earth, and have definite child appeal, such as "What happens when an enemy bites off a spider's leg?" and "Do spitting cobras really spit?" The first title covers the physical and behavioral characteristics common to all spiders, basic anatomy, senses, courting behavior, egg-hatching, special characteristics of about two dozen species, relationship to humans, etc. Tarantulas describes how poisonous animals use venom to capture prey or to defend themselves, hunting and feeding methods, physical or behavioral characteristics of abou- four dozen types, and more. Each title boasts vividly colored, realistic paintings of the animals discussed. Labels identify the creatures by common names. Both titles have lively, well-organized texts that offer up some fascinating facts, figures, and anecdotes. They may inspire students to read more detailed introductions to the subjects, such as Claudia Schnieper's Amazing Spiders (Carolrhoda, 1989), Sandra Markle's Outside & Inside Spiders (Atheneum, 1994), or Nathan Aaseng's Nature's Poisonous Creatures (21st Century, 1997).-Karey Wehner, San Francisco Public Library Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
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