Night Fliers: Moths in Your Backyard

Children's Literature

Nighttime in the back yard becomes a different world than the daytime. Moths and fireflies flutter around the yard and the porch lights. This simply written book about moths informs the youngest reader about some interesting facts about this small creature. Did you know that moths have a powdery substance on their wings? This powder is like shingles on a roof. Moths aren't as colorful as butterflies, but they blend in so they cannot be seen by their enemies. Some moths are like birds because they feed on the nectar of the flowers. A moth's mouth is like a party noisemaker, it curls up when not in use but sticks out when it is drinking from a flower. Readers will also learn about how a moth lays eggs and spins a cocoon. The illustrations are very bright and colorful. Children will enjoy looking at the realistically drawn pictures. There are also some fun facts and a glossary in the back of the book. This book would work well with the classroom science curriculum. The book is written so that it can be easily understood by small children. 2004, Picture Window Books, Ages 4 to 8.
— Cathi I. White

School Library Journal

K-Gr 3-Short paragraphs of large, bold print briefly describe several outstanding physical and behavioral characteristics of honeybees and moths. An insert in the shape of a magnifying glass offers additional facts-in small print-on most of the spreads. The simple texts are clearly written, for the most part, and most of the facts provided are logically organized. Exceptions, however, occur in Night Fliers. For instance, the sentence on the first page that reads, "Moths are like butterflies of the night" may confuse children who are as yet unfamiliar with either insect-the page comparing the two doesn't appear until the end of the book. A later section discussing some moths' feeding habits is oversimplified. The stylized, digitally prepared illustrations in these introductions have definite child appeal. Strong, clean lines define the basic shapes of the insects as well as the flowers upon which they depend, and all of the spreads are suffused with color-muted shades in the backgrounds and mostly primary colors in front. The appendixes focus on a particular aspect of the featured insect and include more miscellaneous facts plus a suggested activity. Joyce Milton's Honeybees (Grosset & Dunlap, 2003), aimed at about the same age level as Busy Buzzers, offers more information on anatomy, behavior, and life cycle and has more realistic illustrations. Linda Glaser's Brilliant Bees (Millbrook, 2003), which also covers the same material, provides a bit more information on hive building and honey making and contains realistic, close-up drawings of the bees.-Karey Wehner, formerly at San Francisco Public Library Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.