Stokes Guide to Observing Insect Lives

First let me say,I read the 3 reviews and have nothing to quarrel about with any of them.This book has been around for a long time,must have sold a pile of copies to schools,libraries,the general public, and what surprises me is that to date only 3 reviews have been submitted. I have a great interest in nature and science in general,and a fair sized personal library,which includes over 1000 Natural History books.Though largely birds,my books cover the gambit from the simple and general to the difficult and extensively detailed.Most are of the type amateurs ,enthusiasts,and nature lovers would own as opposed to what would be called college textbooks. In fact;I own several by the Stokes.This book is very indicative of the books they have authored.They are about as basic as you can get.They are very easy to read and I say this as a compliment.They are written in both the dificulty and detail level of middle school (grade 6 to 9 )If this is what you want this book should satisfy you.However;if you have this book on your shelf,see an insect,and expect it to be much help in identifying or learning much about its behavior,it probably won't be much help.Nor could any book of this size be when it covers such a broad subject.In fact,even your everyday encyclopedias would give you more detail on any insect actually covered in this book,not to say anything about the vast amount not even covered. There is a Bibliography at the back that lists a lot of source material but none are referenced in the text;and highly unlikely to be used by the readers of the book. Sure,when one sees a common,strange or otherwise interesting insect,it would be nice to have a book to 'find out more';the information is available but because of the vastness of the varities ,it requires much digging. Nature is fascinating and will provide much enjoyment but if you want any more than a cursury look,you only get out of it what you put into it. Insects are no different than stars,they can be enjoyed and marveled at by everyone . I have no intention in my comments to knock this book .The author has only tried to give the reader a glimpse into the world of insects ,and for no other reason to share his interests with others and to show what marvels await the curious.

This is a great reference! It has all sorts of insects that you come across in your lawn/gardens/woods. I use it constantly when i'm out looking at butterflies and get distracted looking at other insects. Its great. It breaks the insects down into those that you'll see in spring, summer, fall and winter. It has reference tables on where to look for the insects (e.g. ponds, fields, ground, etc) and tells about their lifecycles. Its just facinating. You can learn a lot without being heavy into the science of orders and classes and things like that. Really a great resource

Since the day I purchased this book I have not stopped consulting it's pages of clear, simple information. Accompanied by a drawing showing the kind of habitat where the insect is likely to be found, a brief description of the insect's life cycles and observable habits are touched upon. This book isn't going to make anyone an expert on the subject of entomology but that isn't its aim. What it will do is to help you in locating many different kinds of insects throughout the seasons and enrich the experience of observing their behavior. The perfect companion book to all your more scientific texts.