Strange Beginnings

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2-The mayflies, dragonflies, damselflies, stoneflies, fishflies, caddisflies, and diving beetles clearly and elegantly illustrated in this nature book spend their early life underwater and change appearance considerably upon maturation from naiad to adult. These two stages of life are depicted for each insect on spreads, usually with some other form of pond life identified in the text. The authors provide a rudimentary but comprehensible explanation of these vast differences: "breathing, eating and swimming underwater require very different skills from living above it." Though some naiad forms live far longer than their mature counterparts-mayflies live submerged for two or three years, but the adults live for only 90 minutes-generally, it is the adult with whom readers are familiar. An appendix lists scientific information: order, species, Latin name and derivation, and habitats of the insects. The final picture, of two small hands cupping water, is informative for scale: the seemingly large monsters depicted throughout the book can all fit together in the palm. This winning introduction to these forms of insect life could easily prompt further investigation, either in the library or in nature itself.-Dona Ratterree, New York City Public Schools Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.