About Insects: A Guide for Children, Vol. 4

From School Library Journal
Grade 1-3-This title offers separate, full-page watercolor paintings of 18 different kinds of insects in their natural habitats. Insects depicted include: silverfish, giant walkingstick, black horse fly, elephant stag beetle, gladiator katydid, honey bee, and luna moth. A single line of large, bold-print text appears on the page opposite each illustration; on the bottom right-hand corner, a caption provides the common name of the species depicted. Each simple sentence or fragment describes either a general characteristic shared by all insects, or a special characteristic of a particular group. Additional bits of general information about insects as well as miscellaneous facts about the featured species are appended. As in About Birds (1991), About Mammals (1997), and About Reptiles (1999, all Peachtree), the realistic watercolor paintings are this book's main focus. They are bright, attractive, and nicely varied in composition. However, despite their visual appeal, the artwork sometimes fails to illustrate the text effectively. For example, the painting of mantis nymphs emerging from an egg case does not match the text, which reads, "Young insects hatch from eggs." As no eggs are visible, this statement is apt to be confusing. Sandra Markle's Creepy, Crawly Baby Bugs (Walker, 1996) provides more detailed information on insect anatomy, reproduction, and behavior and is illustrated with excellent, close-up color photographs.Karey Wehner, San Francisco Public Library Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
K-Gr. 3. Batten introduces a variety of animal species in which the male parent assists in child rearing. She describes mostly birds and mammals, such as the Emperor penguin; Darwin's frog, which carries his babies in his mouth; the giant water bug, which incubates eggs on his back; and the seahorse, which carries babies in his pouch. Bond's acrylic paintings, mostly double-page spreads, exhibit a rich color palate and almost photographic detail. The use of the terms mommy and daddy seems a little informal for a nonfiction book and may preclude the book's use with slightly older readers, but this still offers a good deal of information in an attractive format and will be a welcome addition to most libraries. Kay Weisman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Book Description
A fabulous addition to an important series for kids, this book explores the fascinating world of insects. Once again, teacher Cathryn Sill and her husband, illustrator John Sill, have collaborated on the most recent addition to the ABOUTseries. They tackle the fascinating and varied world of insects in this easy-to-read and educational book, painting these creatures in their respective natural habitats, explaining what insects are, how they live, and what they do. The captivating scenes depicted by noted wildlife illustrator John Sill in ABOUT INSECTS aid in the explanation of basic characteristics that all insects share as well as offering a look into the many differences of the animals that fall into this diverse category. As in the previous books, an afterword provides further detail on the insects portrayed to inspire young readers to learn more.

About the Author
CATHRYN SILL is an elementary school teacher in Franklin, North Carolina, and the author of ABOUT BIRDS, ABOUT MAMMALS, and ABOUT REPTILES. With her husband John and brother-in-law Ben Sill, she co-authored the popular bird guide parodies A FIELD GUIDE TO LITTLE-KNOWN AND SELDOM-SEEN BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA, ANOTHER FIELD GUIDE TO LITTLE-KNOWN AND SELDOM-SEEN BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA, and BEYOND BIRDWATCHING. JOHN SILL is a prize winning and widely published wildlife artist who illustrated ABOUT BIRDS, ABOUT MAMMALS, and ABOUT REPTILES, as well as illustrating and co-authoring the FIELD GUIDES and BEYOND BIRDWATCHING.


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Gr 1-3-This title offers separate, full-page watercolor paintings of 18 different kinds of insects in their natural habitats. Insects depicted include: silverfish, giant walkingstick, black horse fly, elephant stag beetle, gladiator katydid, honey bee, and luna moth. A single line of large, bold-print text appears on the page opposite each illustration; on the bottom right-hand corner, a caption provides the common name of the species depicted. Each simple sentence or fragment describes either a general characteristic shared by all insects, or a special characteristic of a particular group. Additional bits of general information about insects as well as miscellaneous facts about the featured species are appended. As in About Birds (1991), About Mammals (1997), and About Reptiles (1999, all Peachtree), the realistic watercolor paintings are this book's main focus. They are bright, attractive, and nicely varied in composition. However, despite their visual appeal, the artwork sometimes fails to illustrate the text effectively. For example, the painting of mantis nymphs emerging from an egg case does not match the text, which reads, "Young insects hatch from eggs." As no eggs are visible, this statement is apt to be confusing. Sandra Markle's Creepy, Crawly Baby Bugs (Walker, 1996) provides more detailed information on insect anatomy, reproduction, and behavior and is illustrated with excellent, close-up color photographs.-Karey Wehner, San Francisco Public Library Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|


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