Leggy Centipedes

Children's Literature - Heather L. Montgomery

This title provides young readers with a chance to explore the world of centipedes close-up. The book is packed with science content in easily digestible, single-sentence chunks. With the exception of the cover photo (which looks contrived), the full-page and spot photos do an exceptional job of supporting the text. Labels and brief captions draw the reader in to encourage visual interpretation. Major topics covered include: body parts, variety of species, adaptations, habitat, range, eating behavior, molting, predators and lifecycle. Along with those standard scientific topics, the reader will learn whether or not a centipede has 100 legs, where the largest centipedes live and how mother centipedes protect their eggs. As with all the books in the "No Backbone! The World of Invertebrates" series, the book has a page entitled "A World of Invertebrates." This page covers basic scientific classification and introduces the reader to creatures that are related to centipedes. A photo-illustrated glossary is another beneficial component of this series. The back matter additionally includes an index, book suggestions and a website for more information. Reviewer: Heather L. Montgomery