Flying Colors

December 1, 2005
PreS-Gr. 2. This large, horizontally formatted title in the Backyard Bugs series conveys to young readers that in addition to being pretty to look at and fun to watch, butterflies help plants reproduce by spreading pollen from plant to plant. The simple text has an inviting cadence ("What are these colorful dancers? Butterflies!"), with broad ideas supplemented by more technical information provided in illustrated sidebars. Although Peterson's bold paintings will work well for sharing with groups, their stylized, cartoonish quality may make this book less appropriate for some curriculum needs than a book with more realistic or photographic illustrations. A concluding activity somewhat vaguely suggests that readers "look at a butterfly through a magnifying glass" without indicating whether the specimen should be alive or dead; other appended features include "Fun Facts," a craft project, a glossary, and a list of book and Web resources. Additional new releases introduce facts about spiders, earthworms, and dragonflies.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)