Bloodthirsty Mosquitoes

July 1, 2008
Gr 1-4-The photography surpasses the texts in these slight introductions. Most spreads consist of a full-page sharp, color close-up of one or more of the featured insects facing five short sentences of text. In some sections, smaller photos of body parts, egg cases, etc., also appear. The images are remarkably detailed, showing, for example, wing membranes and individual hairs, on larvae and adult bodies. The titles briefly describe a few traits of insects, some distinctive physical and behavioral characteristics of the featured animal, diet, natural enemies, and life cycles, but each has a slightly different emphasis. "Mosquitoes" focuses on the females' need to consume blood, and names some diseases spread by bites; "Praying Mantises" concentrates on the creatures' unusual physiology and their effective hunting techniques; "Cockroaches" emphasizes eating habits and speed. Leaf-shaped sidebars offer miscellaneous information; a one-page appendix includes general facts about invertebrates and photos of four related bugs. While the information is limited, particularly on anatomy (none of the books describe insects' three main body parts, and "Praying Mantises" doesn't mention the insects' spines, although they are depicted in the photos), most of the texts are clearly written. "Mosquitoes", however, oversimplifies in using the word "beak" instead of "proboscis." Janet Piehl's "Flying Mosquitoes" (Lerner, 2006), Colleen Sexton's "Praying Mantises" (Children's Press, 2007), and Patrick Merrick's "Cockroaches" (The Child's World, 2003) offer more detail."Karey Wehner, formerly at San Francisco Public Library"

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