Gr 3-5-Brief visual surveys of three common types of arthropods. In two-page sections, short sentences in large, bold print describe the featured animal's basic anatomy, behavior, life cycle, habitats, relationship to people, etc. Small sidebars with miscellaneous facts, usually on the distinctive characteristics of particular species, are scattered throughout. Sharp, full-color photos appear on almost every page, and a simple color diagram shows the invertebrate's chief internal organs. Microphotographs make up the majority of the illustrations in Head Lice and a few also appear in the other two titles. The most outstanding component of all three books is the photography, which includes more close-ups of individual body parts than most other treatments. The spare texts, however, provide little detail on the topics covered. Head Lice and Spiders are also occasionally flawed by oversimplification and poor syntax. A sentence in Spiders reads, "The spider's mouth is very small, so it can only drink liquids." What else would it drink? Elaine Pascoe's Ants (Blackbirch, 1998), Kris Hirschmann's Lice (Kidhaven, 2003), and Sandra Markle's Outside and Inside Spiders (Atheneum, 1994) offer more detailed information-particularly on behavior-and are better written, albeit for slightly older readers.-Karey Wehner, formerly at San Francisco Public Library Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
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