Insect

Most Eyewitness Books begin with a definition or perspective on the subject of the specific book. This one, an introduction to insects, begins with a discussion of "The parts of an insect." The discussion (Pages 6-7) proceeds from wing to internal anatomy to thorax to antennae, with all manner of tidbits in between. This reminds me of why I'm not dons of insects! The next subject is the distinction between "What is an insect?" and "These are not insects." The answer to the former question begins with a simple statement that (Page 8) "Insects are the most successful creatures in the whole of the animal kingdom." Kind of puts us mammals in our place. . . . Insects are defined as arthropods (having "a hard, protective exoskeleton") with six legs. Most, too, have wings. How many insects are there? Maybe more than 1,000,000 (million) species are already known. Not insects? Scorpions, prawns, tarantulas, centipedes, earthworms, and wood lice. Enough for introductions. What does the rest of this volume, again written for the 8-12 year old young reader, address? There is discussion of the first insects (emerging 300,000,000 years ago), an insect's senses, feeding, and metamorphosis. There is also discussion of some of the main types of insects, such as butterflies and moths, beetles, flies, wasps and their kin, and so on. The book concludes with some perspective, including contributions that insects make. All in all, a very satisfying entry into the Eyewitness Books series. Young readers with any interest in insects will find this an attractive volume.

Just perfect for the budding entomologist, lots of really interesting facts that the whole family has enjoyed. Highly Recommended.

Both my children, 5 and 2 love this book and all the others that we have purchased in this series. The pictures are fantastic and the text informative. Depending on which child I read to, I either just point at the picture and tell them what it is or read them some of the text. My older child is fascinated at even the most detailed information...not that many kids that age know how to say and describe metamorphosis (in fact I couldn't remember the word now and I ran to ask my son what it was!) but mine does. Later, when they can read, I know that they are going to love going to even more detail by reading the books themselves. And when my children ask me questions, then these books are great to look up answers you don't know. These books are excellent!

I'm a teacher and I find the Eyewitness books highly educational. I like the way the concepts are presented in a form without backgrounds. This gives clear facts to the reader without over taxing the attention span. The books are highly informative, presenting difficult concepts in comprehendable chunks that stimulate interest. I have almost the whole collection for my own children and they LOVE them!

This would be a great book for use in elementary school science classes. It has a wonderful layout, with many beautiful photographs (if insects can be called beautiful). The text, mixed nicely with the pictures, covers basic information on insects as well as various interesting facts.