Pill Bugs and Sow Bugs: And Other Crustaceans

Children's Literature

The term "crustacean" describes creatures that have a hard outer shell, which is called an exoskeleton. Included in this classification are lobsters, crabs, pill bugs, sow bugs, shrimps, crayfish, beach fleas and barnacles. There are approximately 26,000 different varieties of crustaceans. Fossils show that these creatures existed as far back as 500 million years ago. Many crustacean live in water but others dwell on land. This informative and well-organized book begins with a description of crustaceans that includes their history, family life and reproduction process. Readers are then given instructions about where and how to find some of the more common species, such as wood lice and brine shrimp. In this way, the reader is encouraged to actually observe various species, rather than just read about them. Questions are posed and simple experiments are suggested. Results and conclusions are then provided in the last chapter. The book is part of the "Nature Close-up" series. 2001, Blackbirch Press, $18.95. Ages 10 up. Reviewer: Denise Daley