Natural Objects

School Library Journal

Gr 3-5These titles offer ideas for starting natural history collections. Ansary briefly describes major physical characteristics common to all Insects; types of habitats; some special characteristics of beetles; true bugs; wasps, bees, and ants; flies; butterflies and moths; and ways to organize and display them. Scientific names are not included. Natural Objects describes how to begin and display collections of leaves, flowers, pine cones, driftwood, feathers, bones, shells, and rocks. Additional "Collector's Tips" appear in both books. These small-print inserts suggest the purchase or construction of simple equipment; additional methods of display; and, in Insects, general directions for attracting, capturing, and killing specimens. (The text does not suggest keeping live insects for study.) Although both books are clearly written and attractively formatted, the dearth of practical detail will limit their usefulness. For instance, Insects gives terse directions for making a butterfly net but provides neither a diagram nor a photo of the finished product. While the text states that some insects can sting or bite, it does not include any safety warnings about handling them. In Natural Objects, a "tip" suggests that readers set up a terrarium in an empty fish tank, but does not give any details or show a completed one. The author does warn that one should not touch bones that look fresh or pick up dead animals, but fails to state that children should not go collecting alone. Though visually appealing, with clear color photographs on every page set against a plain white background, these efforts will not help fill this subject gap.Karey Wehner, San Francisco Public Library