Not a Buzz to Be Found

November 1, 2011

PreS-K-Glaser gives 12 well- and lesser-known examples of how insects survive in adverse winter climates, illustrated by Zollars in brilliantly colorful, full-page paintings. Monarch butterflies migrate to warmer climes while woolly bear caterpillars take a sleeplike refuge "under a blanket of snow or leaves." Ladybugs, bees, mourning cloak butterflies, praying mantises, Common Pondhawk dragonflies, ants, gallflies, field crickets, a bald-faced hornet queen, and black swallowtail butterflies round out the featured creatures as the book shows the many different ways they protect themselves from the cold. The text ends with short informative paragraphs about each insect, accompanied by a larger painting of it. A lovely way to spin science and literature into a curriculum for youngest readers.-Nancy Call, Santa Cruz Public Libraries, Aptos, CA

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2011
This look at how insects survive the cold may have young naturalists scouring the winter landscape to find them for themselves. From those who migrate or hibernate to ones that hide or are still eggs, Glaser has assembled a wide variety of 12 of the more common insects, including ants, ladybugs, dragonflies, honeybees, monarchs, praying mantises and black swallowtail butterflies. Short verses present readers with how each gets through the winter, but a lack of rhythm and inconsistent rhymes make reading aloud a challenge: "If you were a gallfly in winter, / you'd still be a baby living in a gall. / You'd chew a little opening to get out in the spring. / But all winter you'd stay in that small round ball." Backmatter provides a paragraph more of information on each of the 12. Gorgeous full-bleed illustrations filled with color and detail depict the insects in winter. Some need close inspection or pre-existing knowledge of what the insect looks like, as they can be hard to spot, and backmatter only pictures the adult. Many pages also include people, either observing the insects or going about wintertime amusements. A great overview--for more specifics about each insect, check out Judy Allen's Backyard Books series. (Nonfiction. 5-9)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

November 1, 2011
Grades 2-4 Artfully combining foreground close-ups and cutaways with broader views of children at play in lightly wooded winter landscapes, Zollars supplies soft-lined but accurately detailed illustrations for Glaser's survey of wintering insects. Adding occasional rhymes or near rhymes to give her language a lilt, the author looks at 12 examples, from ants and woolly bear caterpillars to a bald-faced hornet queen with eggs and the nymphs of common pondhawk dragonfliesexplaining in two to four sentences how each hides away, migrates, or finds shelter underground, underwater, or beneath leaves or tree bark. Though this lacks the now-customary leads to additional resources at the end, a closing section of commentary expands on the earlier texts with well-chosen details, such as the observations that only autumn-born monarchs fly south and that an internal substance called glycerol keeps woolly bears from freezing. An informative foray into the natural world, equally suited for sharing with groups or for giving to recently independent readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)