Review Detail

This large format, beautifully illustrated guide to insects. It is organized by types of insects, but also addresses where they live, and has additional chapters about insect related topics like poison, defense systems, and conservation. Each topic has a two page spread with illustrations rendered in shades of teal, purple, and dark peach, with an introductory paragraph as well as side bars are characteristics and trivia. There is even an explanation entitled "Spiders are not insects!"

While there is a fair amount of text, portions could be used as read alouds. There is enough detail on the page that it would be fun for young readers to read about the characteristics of, say, caterpillars, and then locate the various parts on the spreads later in the book that catalog a variety of specific kinds of this insect. Even the end papers, in teal and cream, offer a lot of differnt creatures.