Water Bugs

Creepy, crawly and sometimes not very pretty, earth is home to nearly one million species of insects and these books will introduce kids to some of the more common ones. Helen Frost has written six new books (Cicadas, Moths, Praying Mantises, Walkingsticks, Wasps and Water Bugs) to add to the Pebble Books series entitled "Insects." The book opens with a table of contents, followed by a description of the water bugs using simple declarative sentences. Next, Frost presents some interesting facts that differentiate this insect from others. For example, some water bugs breathe air through a tube that reaches through the water to the surface. The book is full of excellent photographs with labels or captions as appropriate. It also contains a list of words to know with definitions, which are written at a higher level than the text, but they do provide additional useful information. There is an up-to-date mini-bibliography, a list of Internet sites and an index. The books support national science standards relating to diversity and unity of life. 2001, Pebble Books/Capstone, $13.25. Ages 5 to 7. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot


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