The Big Bug Book

Grade 1-6-Concisely written and well organized, this introduction offers a unique perspective on 13 of the world's largest insects. Illustrated life-size, the bugs are transposed from their natural habitats to a human home. On vivid, double-page spreads, each species is contrasted with common household objects to give readers a frame of reference as to scale. For instance, giant wetapungas (grasshopper relatives from New Zealand) rest on a baseball and bat, birdwing butterflies hover over an opened box of crayons, and a tarantula hawk wasp and its prey (a tarantula) engage in a battle to the death amidst spools of red, blue, and orange thread. A two-page introduction discusses basic insect anatomy and characteristics; thereafter, the text appears on every other page, set in a large, square box with a double border of white and a bold color that complements the paintings. The information given on any one creature is insufficient for reports, and similar material can be found in Seymour Simon's Little Giants (Morrow, 1983), which includes five of the same animals, and Sylvia Johnson's Beetles (1982) and Water Insects (1989, both Lerner). However, The Big Bug Book's unique and strikingly realistic illustrations make it recreational reading par excellence.
Karey Wehner, San Francisco Public Library
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Thirteen giant insects are briefly described and dramatically portrayed in meticulous color illustrations by the author's son. Facklam (And Then There Was One, 1990, etc.) is a master of presenting scientific information clearly and succinctly while focusing on the kind of facts that stimulate appreciation of the natural world. Beginning with a discussion of how big insects can actually be and an overview of their anatomy, she devotes spreads to such unusual creatures as the giant wetapunga, the Atlas moth, and the Madagascar hissing cockroach. In the illustrations, the enormous wild insects are amusingly juxtaposed with settings that reinforce the lifesize scale: A six-inch Goliath beetle crawls on a plate of cookies, three-inch cockroaches climb alphabet blocks, and the six-inch walking stick balances on tinker toys. Unusually appealing and intriguing. Brief glossary, but scientific names aren't given. (Nonfiction. 5-12) -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.