Tarantulas

Children's Literature - Tim Whitney

This "Early Bird Nature Book" describes the physical characteristics, behavior, enemies, and habitats of the tarantula. Color photographs, an illustration of the tarantula's body, and a map accompany the informative text. Unfamiliar words are introduced at the beginning of the book, and a note to adults, glossary, and index are at the end. This book will calm young readers' fears of spiders and leave them with a greater understanding of these creatures.

School Library Journal

Gr 3-4--Clear full-color photos on each page and crisply informative texts with simple sentences are the signatures of this series. All of the books include a section for adults on related activities. Bearing cubs (Polar Bears) and egg-laying (Sandhill Cranes and Tarantulas) are mentioned but mating is never alluded to, though the male parenting role in Stone's book is described. Although there are several titles on polar bears available, such as Emilie Lepthien's Polar Bears (Children's, 1991), the popularity of these elegant endangered predators means there is usually room on the shelf for another attractive book. As for sandhills, these soign cranes have been extremely neglected in favor of their larger, heavily endangered cousins, the whooping cranes. While there has been a spurt of books on the tarantula lately, including Susan Clymer's There's a Tarantula (Scholastic, 1997), the high "ick-factor" of these hairy arachnids creates a heavy demand for titles, and a previous dearth of material makes a new book helpful indeed. Attractive, informative, and useful.--Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY