Caterpillars

November 1, 2011

PreS-Gr 4-This basic introduction to caterpillar reproduction, development, diet, survival, habitat, and anatomy is combined with powerfully clear photography that will captivate a wide audience. The book has two levels of text: simple capitalized red letters that swirl across the pages for the youngest readers to more complicated paragraphs easy enough for third or fourth graders to enjoy. The book opens with a simple six-stanza poem that begins, "Caterpillars smooth, /Caterpillars hairy./Munching in a giant bunch./Lunching solitary" and swings through caterpillar movement, growth, camouflage, development, and metamorphosis. Each paragraph includes a smoothly written explication that will prepare children to take a 12-question "Pop Quiz" and play "Match the Caterpillar to the Moth or Butterfly." The text concludes with information about the anatomy of a caterpillar and scientific and common names of butterflies and moths. Lois Ehlert's exemplary Waiting for Wings (Harcourt, 2001) is for younger listeners while Darlyne Murawski's Face to Face with Caterpillars (National Geographic, 2007) is for third- to fourth-grade readers. Singer's Caterpillars will serve both groups when the other popular titles are checked out, which they usually are.-Nancy Call, Santa Cruz Public Libraries, Aptos, CA

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