Fireflies

Children's Literature

This entry in the "Wild Wild World" series contains an overview, interesting facts subcategorized by headings of double-page spreads (e.g., "Nighttime Creatures, " "Pupae," or "Special Defenses"), and lots of photographs arranged artistically or sequentially to illustrate a concept. While the photographs lack captions, they surround and face the short paragraphs of text that appear on each page. For instance, on a page discussing "Food for Others," fireflies are shown being devoured by a four other animals and text mentions three of them. By not using captions, the series misses the chance to educate children as to how to "read" the photos more deeply or to confirm what we think is being pictured. A four-word glossary and no index make this an additional purchase for most libraries. Perhaps families could read this book as an introduction to the topic because the good pictures will stimulate conversation and might lead to research in more complete texts. 2003, Blackbirch Press/Gale Group, Ages 7 to 11.
—Susan Hepler, Ph.D.