Scorpions!

Gr 5–7—Pringle's careful research and Henderson's painterly eye are clearly in evidence as they explore the world of scorpions. Ancient dwellers on Planet Earth, armed with often-formidable pincer-claws and tails tipped with a venomous sting, these rather unlovely and unwelcome arachnids have adapted to habitats ranging from arid deserts to tropical rain forests, all the while evolving in size and shape and habits to meet the dangers of environments and predators. Pringle does an excellent job of describing the "average" scorpion and deftly goes on to present its eating habits (no chewing, mostly slurping), courtship (daringly risky for the usually smaller males), reproduction (females give birth to live young), and predators (often larger scorpions-cannibalism seems to run in the family). The colorful paintings faithfully depict the physical makeup of many varieties and are carefully coordinated to match the text. Even libraries that have Pringle's own "golden oldie" Scorpion Man: Exploring the World of Scorpions (Scribner, 1994), an interesting look at scientist Gary Polis and his work, or Sandra Markle's Scorpions: Armored Stingers (Lerner, 2011) should still make room for this handsome, informative work.—Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY