Weird Insects

.span style = 'font-weight:bold'>Gr 4–8—This stunning array of spectacular "bugs" is a companion volume to Erich Hoyt's equally eye-catching Weird Sea Creatures (Firefly, 2013). A gallery of brilliantly clear, color photos gives intimate, close-up looks at just 59 of the millions of insects crawling, flying, scurrying, and burrowing on our planet, but Worek's choices open up a visual treasure house of the class Insecta. From metallic armored beetles to lacy-winged flies to spiny caterpillars, the pictures glow on the crisp white pages. The book begins with a thoughtful introduction describing just what an "insect" is, and each photo is accompanied by a brief paragraph of various information—size, perhaps, or diet, global location, egg-laying proclivities, or habitat. This is not a book for in-depth research, but for the curious of mind and those with an understanding of biological diversity and evolutionary differentiation, it's a visual feast and—oh my—those pictures!—Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY