Dragonfly

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-From the duo that created the very fine Ladybug (Holiday, 1992) comes this look at another fascinating insect. Dragonfly soars with details about its giant ancestors, hunting skills, birth and growth, and its connections to humans and folklore. A useful glossary with pronunciations is included. The watercolor illustrations, many of which are captioned, are colorful, arresting, and fun. After reading this book, children will want to head for the nearest pond to see the real thing. Although there are no photographs and the text is brief, this is a wonderful tool to instill a love for earth's small creatures in young children.-Amy Nunley, Toledo-Lucas County Public Library, OH

Stephanie Zvirin

Like "Ladybug" , this natural history has the appealing look of a story book, but it's packed with all kinds of scientific information. A dragonfly winging its way across a backdrop of blue, clouded sky leads readers from page to page to discover facts about dragonfly morphology, behavior, mating, and maturation, and a little about dragonflies in culture and myth. The approach is direct, yet the writing is colorful and includes plenty of enlivening details. The illustrations, each bordered in red, are sparely detailed, crisply outlined scenes (there's also a nicely labeled diagram), accomplished in soothing tones accentuated by dashes of bright color. They're a wonderful inducement to browsing.