Dazzling Dragonflies: A Life Cycle Story

A female dragonfly curls the lower part of her body into the water to "lay a clutch of eggs." They quickly find their way down to the bottom of a lake or pond in order to keep them safe from predators. Later they "hatch into little nymphs" that don't look anything like their parents. Once they have hatched they have to quickly scoot out of the way when a hungry fish comes along and wants to eat them. "Whoosh! Water squirts through your gills and you whisk away--quick!" They don't want to be eaten, but do like to eat and go after "small bugs and fish." The nymph constantly changes and sheds it's skin for a larger one several times, but those wings still are not showing up. One day the nymph climbs out of the water and sheds its skin for the last time and wings spread outward from its body. He has to stay very still so the wings will dry and set. When they are dry he flits this way and that and can "even hover like a helicopter--[a] dazzling creature of the air!" This is a quaint and enjoyable book for the younger child on the life cycle of the dragonfly. The storybook format makes it very easy to absorb life cycle science with little or no effort. The illustrations are very appealing, without getting overly technical. In the back of the book the dragonflies in the book are named and there are a series of questions the curious may be interested in. For example, one of the questions is "How do dragonflies see?" There is an additional recommended website resource listed. If you are a young dragonfly lover you might enjoy this "dazzling" book!

Dazzling Dragonflies, the latest Linda Glaser natural history book for children, nails the basic life-history of dragonflies. This delightful book uses kid-friendly language without compromising the facts. Illustrator Mia Posada's images are gorgeous and rich while still paying attention to the details of these complex insects. Several species are highlighted and there is an "appendix" at the end with answers to frequently asked questions about dragonflies (and info on the closely-related damselflies). Teachers, naturalists and parents will find this book very useful for introducing young children to the life-cycle of insects with incomplete metamophosis (plus it's a fun read!). Tops my list for kids' insect books.