Buzz With the Bees (A Bug's World)

Bugs are part of your life every day. You see them flying, crawling, and creeping inside and outside. But have you thought about the bug's world? This beautifully illustrated series follows the lifecycles of bugs. Explore each creature's environment, feeding habitats, and external features to see how it survives in A Bug's World. Looking Glass Library is an imprint of Magic Wagon, a division of ABDO Group. Grades preK-4.

Grade 1–3—The busy lives of a variety of common insects are explored in these colorful introductions. Throughout most of each title, a page with one or two short paragraphs of simply written text alternates with a full-page, realistic color drawing of the featured animals in natural settings; a few picture spreads are also included. Each book describes the insects' major physical and behavioral characteristics; some distinctive characteristics of particular groups or species; life cycle; diet; feeding habits; and defenses. Bees and Ants also outline the different roles performed by workers, males, and queens within each colony. Scattered throughout are sidebars with related facts in smaller print. A diagram of key body parts; directions for an easy activity (two involve comparing pictures of different species); and miscellaneous facts are also included. All three volumes have an attractive format with layouts that are skillfully varied from page to page. The bright illustrations of the insects engaged in their daily tasks, effectively set against mostly pastel backgrounds, closely match the texts. Books that cover the same topics in more detail and with close-up, color photographs include Suzanne Slade's Ants (Rosen, 2008) and John Woodward's Bee (Chelsea Clubhouse, 2010), but they have slightly higher reading levels. Younger readers will find Kenney's simpler, beautifully illustrated titles appealing.—Karey Wehner, formerly at San Francisco Public Library
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