AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES : A Compare and Contrast Book

AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES is a fun, kid-friendly book with interesting photos on every page.  Written at the 3rd Grade Reading level it talks about Herpetologists, the scientists who study Amphibians and Reptiles, and about how the two groups of animals are different. 

In addition children will learn that there are 3 sub-types of amphibians and 4 sub-types of reptiles. 

I like the above photo and the smaller ones on next page.  It's like a call to action for kids to head out and see what they can discover.

 

Most pages have only a few words like:

Most amphibians have moist, smooth skin.

But there may be more:

When amphibians hatch, they live in the water as tadpoles. As they grow, their bodies change form in a process called "metamorphosis".

WHAT I LIKE about this book

-- The information is clearly presented.

-- The images. Color runs from page edge to page edge, and each photograph is interesting.  Things that are slimy, look slimy.  And things that are dry and scaly look true to form.

-- There is a section at the back of the book that I really like titled "For Creative Minds".  It is a way for adults to engage with children and this material.  It's here that children will be introduced to more sophisticated material.  The author introduces them to 'taxonomy' and the fact that scientists divide all living creatures into vertebrates and invertebrates and from there into classes.

-- There's a page with 9 animals and a fun challenge for children to decide based on what they learned whether the critters are reptiles or amphibians. 

-- At the end there's also an information dense page which talks about Herpetologists and what they do, with notes and hints and safety tips on how children can go out and do their own fieldwork.

FOR TEACHERS there are online resources.

-- The 'For Creative Minds' material is available there so that instructors can share that URL with others or print it out for children to take home.

-- There are also a variety of quizzes that are available: ones for Reading, for the Creative Minds material, and one for Math.

-- Activity suggestions, website info and more.... Look under Educational Resources on the Arbordale Publication page.

SUMMARY

AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES is a visually appealing book that should appeal to a fairly wide age range.  Younger children will enjoy the photos and listening to you reading the text.  Having only 220 words makes this a good book for reluctant readers who are curious about animals.

For more precocious students there is the material in the FCM section.  And in general this book would make a good one to use to reinforce the principles taught in a curriculum about Amphibians and Reptiles.

Pam~


AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES:
A Compare and Contrast Book
(Arbordale Publishing)
by Katharine Hall

Reading Information:
Word Count: 221
Page Count:  32
Accelerated Reader: 3.4 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 174708
~ review copy

Review: DINOSAUR BONES by Aliki

 

3.69 STAR from 29 GoodReaders

DINOSAUR BONES focuses on the discovery of dinosaurs. How people found 'strange bones' that they couldn't classify, and how this lead to the discovery of the ancient world of dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures.

One of the really useful aspects of the book is that it shows the Scientific Method in action. Aliki walks children through the history of Dinosaur Discovery. They will see how scientists made mistakes and how theories were disproved and then replaced with better theories.

When talking about the Scientific Method there's not always a good example available to show children. The story in this book is very clear and accessible.

There are a number of other topics that are touched up. DINOSAUR BONES talks about how dinosaurs first appeared in the late Triassic period, and how they grew larger as the centuries passed. The Triassic Cretaceous, and Jurassic periods are introduced. And Aliki includes the topics of Continental drift and sediment deposits that lead to rock stratification.

AND FINALLY, what I liked quite a bit was that the book ends with the mysterious WHY of dinosaur extinction. I think too often children get the impression that we know all the answers. Aliki leaves with the knowledge that that's not true. And I would hope this would leave young dino enthusiasts with the idea that there is scientific work left to be done and that they could be great discoverers when they grow up.

Pam~


DINOSAUR BONES
(Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2)
by Aliki L. Brandenberg 

Reading Information:
Word Count: 827
Page Count: 32
Accelerated Reader: 3.7 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 13804
Lexile: 460L
--sample pages available
--other reviews available

To See Other Books in Aliki's Dinosaur Series Click Here 

Review: DIGGING UP DINOSAURS by Aliki

3.57 STARS from 174 GoodReaders

DIGGING UP DINOSAURS covers a lot of ground, but most of the focus is on how dinosaur fossils get out of the earth and into the museum.

The book touches upon dinosaur diversity. How they could be small and large, etc. It then briefly tells children about the history of discovery. How people found strange bones that they couldn't classify, and how this lead to theories and finally the discovery of dinosaurs.  Teachers and parents can use this part of the book to teach how scientist develop theories.

DIGGING UP DINOSAURS also introduces, very briefly, how sedimentary fossils happen.

What young readers will probably find most interesting are the pages which describe and show paleontologists in the field. How they dig up fossils, prepare them for shipment to the museum, and how at the museum the bones are classified and then stored after molds are made.

SUMMARY

Chock-a-block full of snippets and introductory material. This book gives children a good overview to how people 'discovered' dinosaurs, and how dinosaur fossils make their way from the ground to the displays they see in museums.

Pam~


DIGGING UP DINOSAURS
(Let's Read and Find Out Science 2)
by Aliki Liacouras Brandenberg 

Reading Information:
Word Count: 854
Page Count: 32
Accelerated Reader: 3.6 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 9763
Lexile: 490L
--sample pages available
--other reviews available


To See Other Books in Aliki's Dinosaur Series Click Here 

Review: FOSSILS TELL OF LONG AGO by Aliki

3.77 STARS from 65 GoodReaders

The focus of FOSSILS TELL OF LONG AGO is how fossils are made and what classifies as a fossil.

Children will learn how animals bodies and plants can be deposited in silt and end up as fossils. Also how creatures can leave fossil footprints, as well as be captured in amber or snow.

Here are some sample pages. The first excerpt shows sedimentation, but you should know that there is more emphasis in the drawing on the process than there is in the text on how this works and what it looks like. 

The book also discusses how the climate has changed over time for some places.  How areas that are cool and cold now, used to be tropical. And how sometimes the land has risen so that so places that were at sea level in dinosaur days are now at the top of mountains.

SUMMARY:
The artwork in FOSSILS TELL OF LONG AGO is child friendly and has some humor thrown in.  I love that there's a good deal of diversity shown--different genders and colors, and even a child in a wheelchair.

Generally speaking, there is some good introductory information here, and I like the idea of 'creating your own fossil' by making a print of your hand; but honestly, too much of the end of the book is wasted, in my opinion, by non-educational content.  Two children, for example, hide the fossils they made and then talk about what they are going to do in the future.  Senseless but not harmful.

FOSSILS TELL OF LONG AGO would be a good book for a classroom or one to share with children at home.  To get the absolute most from the book will take some supplementary emphasis from adults. But it's excellent for introducing ideas without getting too complicated.

Pam~


FOSSILS TELL OF LONG AGO 
(Let's Read and Find Out Science 2)
by Aliki

Reading Information:
Word Count: 813
Page Count: 32
Accelerated Reader: 3.6 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 13815
Lexile: 480L
--sample pages available
--other reviews available
--available in Spanish!

Los fosiles nos hablan del pasado 

To See Other Books in Aliki's Dinosaur Series Click Here 

DINOSAURS ARE DIFFERENT by Aliki

3.35 STARS from 20 GoodReaders

DINOSAURS ARE DIFFERENT may be the easiest book out the ones listed here; but it has the most sophisticated and complex information.

The book begins with this text:

I like to visit the dinosaurs.
I like to study their skeletons.
I have found out a lot about dinosaurs
by looking at their bones.

And it's structure and corresponding function that is the emphasis on this book. So much so that I think this book should be targeted only to your more serious dinosaur fans. Here are some sample pages to give you an idea of what's inside.

In Firefox clicking on image will ENLARGE it

SUMMARY

The focus of DINOSAURS ARE DIFFERENT is form and function.  Children will be introduced to the notion that carnivores have different heads, teeth, and jaw designs than herbivores. Plus they will learn that you need a different sort of hip for walking upright than walking on all fours.

A good book, but rather technical. This is the last book in this series that I would give to a child; and even then only if he/she is interested in this level of information.  Good supplementary book to science units.


DINOSAURS ARE DIFFERENT

(Let's Read and Find Out Science 2)
by Aliki

Reading Information:
Word Count: 539
Page Count: 32
Accelerated Reader: 3.0 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 13805
Lexile: 530L
--sample pages available
--other reviews available
--available in Spanish!

Dinosaurios Son Diferentes 
(Dinosaurs Are Different)

To See Other Books in Aliki's Dinosaur Series Click Here

ALIKI'S DINOSAUR books & their reading information INDEX

Dinosaurs are popular and Aliki is popular so I thought I would take a look at her dinosaur series.  I initially thought that I'd put the reviews and comments for all the books in one post but it soon became apparent that that would be a very long post indeed, with all the images I wished to include for you.

So each book will get it's own post, and what you'll find here is an index.  [The posts will, of course, have all the usual information that this site includes: number of pages, Lexile reading level and AR Quiz number]

Here are the covers and AR numbers. Click to go to the review.

DINOSAURS ARE DIFFERENT

Focus is on form and function.

Accelerated Reader: 3.0

GoTo Post

MY VISIT TO THE DINOSAURS

Touches upon a museum visit and what paleontologist do.  Some kid pleasing pages on different dinosaurs.

Accelerated Reader: 3.2 

Post will be up soon

FOSSILS TELL OF LONG AGO 

How fossils are made and the forms fossils take.

Accelerated Reader: 3.6

GoTo Post

DIGGING UP DINOSAURS

Touches upon a little of everything. Dinosaur evolution, the history of dino discovery, and jobs. Main focus is on how dinosaur remains get from the field to museums.

Accelerated Reader: 3.6

GoTo Post

DINOSAUR BONES

History the discovery of dinosaurs. Also touches up Pangaea and how scientist divide time into eras and periods.

Accelerated Reader: 3.7

GoTo Post

compiled by Pam

 

Review: THE GHOST BOX by Catherine Fisher

THE GHOST BOX is a Hi-Lo book from Catherine Fisher and Stoke Books.  It's an exciting story about a girl and a ghost-boy from the past, whose soul was snatched up and placed in silver box.

Backstory:

Sarah's mom is a sculptor.  Her step-father, Gareth, is a bit uptight, but Sarah likes him.  Who she doesn't like is Gareth's son, Matt.  Matt's a rather obnoxious 'goth' teen and as the story begins the two aren't seeing eye to eye.  

It's not long before the mystery begins.  At a swank party Sarah sees a painting of her home as it was a century before. The picture draws her attention and before she knows it, there are eyes peering out at her from the leaves of the tree that once stood outside her window. This is the first sign that she's been drawn into the curse that keeps the boy's ghost from being free to leave this world.  And that night the boy appears and begs her for help to find the key that will unlock the silver box with it's strange lettering.

A shadow fell across the painting and Gareth came up behind her.

"So here you are!"

He put his glasses on and stared at the old barn with interest. "Oh look! Our house. Pretty good, isn't it?"

Sarah couldn't answer. She stared at the tree but there was nothing in its leaves now, no birds, no face, no sly eye that closed.

------------------------------------------------------------------
Review: IN THE SHADOWS
Review: MISTWALKER
Review: LIV, FOREVER
------------------------------------------------------------------

The end of each chapter is perfect.  A mini-cliff hanger that compels the reader forward. The end comes a bit abruptly, but with a satisfactory manner with the nature of the curse being revealed, and familial relationships being repaired.  And I found myself wishing there was a 'next story' to be shared by Sarah and Matt.

She grabbed the door handle and took a deep breath. Then she flung the door open and stormed in.

No one was there.

The curtains moved in the stillness.  The belt of her bathrobe swung softly to and fro.

She let out her breath.

There was a smell.

A wet, cloying smell, like something rotten.

Personally, I liked this story and I think it should appeal to Tweens, Middle-graders and some young adults/adults who like spooky goodness.  The book is a very quick read and should be thought of as a short story for more accomplished readers.

Pam~
 

THE GHOST BOX
by Catherine Fisher

Reading Information:
Page Count: 67 (although it seemed much shorter to me. I read it as an ebook from the publisher. It took about an hour.)

no Accelerated Reader information currently available
Lexile HL520L reading level

You might be interested in...

• Hi-Lo Books At the 1st Grade Level
• Hi-Lo Books At the 2nd Grade Level 
• R. L. Stine / HORRORLAND series
• Goosebumps

Review: BIRDIE'S BIG-GIRL HAIR by Sujean Rim

BIRDIE'S BIG-GIRL HAIR is the 3rd book in the Birdie series by Sujean Rim. Like it's predecessors it is going to appeal to fashion forward youngsters. Children who love the idea of dressing up like mom and dad– or in my case, like someone else's more stylish mom.

In BIRDIE'S BIG-GIRL HAIR mom has decided that Birdie needs a haircut. And so an appointment has been made at a glamorous salon. Birdie asks if she can do some research using mom's fashion magazines, and off she goes to imagine how she might exit the salon.

The images of her with Farrah Fawcett flippy hair, and a sleek chignon like Audrey Hepburn made me smile.  Here though are some sample pages.

The story ends at the playground with a 'wilted' look, but Birdie's mom says that's okay, because no matter what her hair looks like, she's Birdie and that is special enough.

BIRDIES BIG-GIRL HAIR is a cute book that should appeal to fans of the FANCY NANCY and the PINKALICIOUS series.  

I thought the message was a little muddy, but I would definitely consider using this book to begin a discussion of what a visit to a salon is like.  And also, to subtly indicate that research isn't out of place for anything, and hair styles is just the beginning of possibilities.

Thanks to the good folks at Hachette for introducing me to this series. 

Pam~


BIRDIE'S BIG-GIRL HAIR
by Sujean Rim

Reading Information:
Word Count: 508
Page Count: 40
Accelerated Reader: 3.4 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 166150
--sample pages and reviews available

Check out the Other BIRDIE'S books (with reading info/AR test numbers) here

Review: THE UNSOLVED MYSTERY OF BIGFOOT by Michael Burgan

THE UNSOLVED MYSTERY OF BIGFOOT is an attractive, well composed book for children reading at the 3rd Grade level.

It's approach is talk about the legends and theories about what/who Bigfoot might be, with some speculation as to what it might take to track one down.  As much as is possible the author doesn't totally debunk the existence of Bigfoot, so children who might be exceedingly fond of these creatures will be able to hang on the possibility of their existence for a bit longer.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A Creature in the Woods
History and Legend
Bigfoot or Not?
Searching for Bigfoot

Glossary
Read More
Internet Sites
Index

The book is organized so that on one page there will be large photo with a comment box --which will say something about the photo or which will have an interesting snippet of information; while on the opposing page there will be 1-to-2 paragraphs of facts.

There is also something that I haven't seen before in a Capstone book, and that is TRUE or FALSE pages.  On these pages the author asks a question, and to my surprise both True and False answers were given.  (see the samples below)

For those of you who aren't loading photos, here's a text example.  The question was whether high-tech equipment can help researchers find Bigfoot.  And here are two sample answers. 

TRUE:
--They also use cameras that work best at night.  

FALSE:
--Many pictures and videos taken of Bigfoot are blurry. 

The photos in this book are interesting and there is lots of color which I really like.   I even learned something, so this might be a good choice for the classroom or to borrow from the library, as the 'monster appeal' is definitely something that can get children reading. 

Pam~


THE UNSOLVED MYSTERY OF BIGFOOT
(First Facts)
by Michael Burgan

Reading Information:
Word Count: 663
Page Count: 24
Accelerated Reader:  3.5 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 155843
Lexile: 650L

You might also be interested in:

• Monster Bugs!
• Disgusting Animals!
• Disgusting Plants! 

• THAT'S DISGUSTING! series reading level information

Review: LITTLE RED WRITING by Joan Holub

LITTLE RED WRITING is cute and funny, and ought to be hugely popular with adults who are trying to get children to pay attention to the parts of speech.  Talking adjectives, adverbs, and the like here.

It is NOT a book that I would hand off to a child though, and expect them to read and re-read it.  There's just too much of a focus on the educational side of things, so that the story takes second place. 

Here are some sample pages and dialog.

"Little Red knocked on the door.
"'Come in,' said a growly voice.
"'Greetings, Little Pencil. Grrreat to see you,' said Principal Granny.
"Little Red was suspicious. 'I'd like to report hearing a growly voice. And you know what? It sounded kind of like yours,' said Little Red.
"'The better to be hearrrd on the school intercom,' said Principal Granny.
"I'd also like to report that I saw a long, tangly tail. I can't help noticing that you have a tangly tail, too,' said Little Red.
"'The better to get charged up for my school duties when batteries are rrrunning low,' said Principal Granny.
"'I'd also like to report I have just noticed what big sharp teeth you have,' said Little Red.
"'The better to chomp little pencils like you and grind them up,' growled Principal Granny who in reality was...the Wolf 3000™ the grumpiest, growliest, pencil sharpener ever made.
"Just as the Wolf 3000 began to chase Little Red, in walked Mr. Woodcutter the janitor.
"'Who made this mess?'
"'Help!' cried Little Red. 'I think the Wolf 3000 has sharpened Principal Granny to smithereens!'"

I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book as a supplement to lessons on language.  It's entertaining enough that is would add glamor and fun to other instruction.  And it would definitely emphasize the importance of various parts of speech.

I would personally either sit down and read it with the children, or read it aloud.

Pam~


LITTLE RED WRITING
by Joan Holub
Melissa Sweet (Illustrator)

4.22 avg rating — 169 ratings

Reading Information:
Word Count: 976
Page Count: 36
Accelerated Reader:   3.5 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 161638
--sample pages and reviews available

Review: REALITY BOY by A.S. King

4.15 Stars from 305 GoodReaders

Wow.  Just wow.  King's REALITY BOY is a heavy roller.  I loved this book but sometimes it was difficult for me to read, as I was drawn into the thoughts of a boy who grew up in such an unloving and hostile environment. 

Background

Gerald is 17.  Back when he was about 5 years-old his mother agreed to have his home invaded by cameras and 'reality creators'. Next thing you know, family life is worse, everyone is stressed out, and worse, Gerald is permanently labelled 'the crapper' for his use of poop as a means to communicate to adults how unhappy he was.

Forward 12 years...

Gerald's mom and dad are still inept and as a result of the 'help' they received from the fake Nanny and the show's director the whole family is living in hell.  There oldest child despises her siblings, and Lisl, Gerald's slightly older sister, has escaped to Europe.

And Gerald.  Gerald is filled with almost uncontrollable rage.

------------------------------------------------------------------
Review: INFINITE SKY
Review: CHASING SHADOWS
Review: FANGIRL  (light-hearted drama)
------------------------------------------------------------------

REALITY BOY is an amazing book.  Alternately sweet and uplifting, and then again, angering and insightful.

[I swear I will never look at Realty TV the same way again.  And the irony of my observing Gerald so closely, when this was just how his life got so screwed up in the first place, isn't lost on me either.]

Gerald and Hannah are simply fantastic characters.  Her oddball quirkiness is the perfectly complimented for him, and it was so enjoyable to watch them slowly forge their relationship.

If you are in the mood for a pretty intense read, READ THIS.

REALITY BOY is probably not suitable though for middle-graders.  There is fierce bullying, profuse profanity, and mild sexual content.  So it's probably not going to be for all adults or young adult readers either.

Pam~


REALITY BOY
by A.S. King

Reading Information:
Word Count: 75,243
Page Count: 368
Accelerated Reader: 3.8 / points: 10.0
AR quiz: 162363
Lexile: HL620L--sample pages and reviews available

DISGUSTING PLANTS by Connie Colwell Miller

DISGUSTING PLANTS is part of Connie Colwell Miller's Disgusting series.  These little 32 page books discuss disgusting foods, animals, bugs, jobs and places, as well as plants.

Like in the Disgusting Jobs book, Ms. Miller uses a facetious Gross-O-Meter to keep kids turning those pages.  It sort of like, 'oh, if that's only sort of disgusting,  what must REALLY disgusting be like'.

I've seen this before...

If truth be told though, these plants aren't all that disgusting.  The first one that is discussed is Milkweed --with it's sticky, milky goo.  And other plants range from mushrooms to carnivorous plants with a taste for insects.

I like these little books because they are short and kid-friendly.  Children drawn to non-fiction might find the series addictive. 

Pam~

DISGUSTING PLANTS
 by Connie Colwell Miller

3.50 Stars from 4 GoodReaders

Reading Information:
Word Count: 406
Page Count:  32
Accelerated Reading level:  3.3 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 112297
Lexile: 710L

Table of Contents

DISGUSTING PLANTS
--That's Disgusting!

SORT OF DISGUSTING
--Choking Hazard
--Murder in the Forest
--Slip and Slide
--What a Stink!

PRETTY DISGUSTING
--Fungi Food
--Broke the Mold
--Bug Juice
--Itchy Plant

REALLY DISGUSTING
--Bug Trap
--Poisonous Parsley
--Nature's Stink Bomb
--Gross and Green

Glossary
Read More
Internet Sites
Index

 You might also be interested in:

DISGUSTING JOBS!

DEADLIEST JOBS ON EARTH

DISGUSTING ANIMALS!  (different author)

DISGUSTING ANIMALS! (That's Wild!: A Look at Animals)

DISGUSTING ANIMALS by Julie Murray (Abdo Press) is a fun little book that came out in 2010.  It's written at the 3rd Grade level and I think it's got just the right level of grossness for it to be an engaging read for children that prefer non-fiction.

The book talks about 10 different animals:  opossums, skunks, horned lizards, owls, foxes, vultures, eagles (in brief, seems they like vulture vomit), giraffes, and naked mole rats.

The type of things that children will find out about are how animals defend themselves, feed their young and clean themselves.  (Did you know Vultures pee on themselves to stay clean?  Yeah, eww.)

Here are some sample pages.

Besides the information about animals there are two pages at the end of the book about saving water and recycling.   These ideas let children do something positive to help animals if they want to.  You can find a table of contents for Disgusting Animals beneath the reading information.

I know I learned some things.  I hope you and yours enjoy this little book. 

Pam~


DISGUSTING ANIMALS
(That's Wild!: A Look at Animals)
by Julie Murray

Reading Information: 
Word Count: 1,116
Page Count:  32
Accelerated Reading level: 3.3 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 135267

Table of Contents

Wildly Disgusting!
Playing Possum
Skunk'd
Nice to See You
Hoot Hoot
Want Some Dinner?
Birdie Bites
Clean Up
Do I know You?

That WAS Wild!
Wow! Is that TRUE?
Important Words
Web Sites
Index

No other reviews currently available.

MOI AND MARIE ANTOINETTE by Lynn Cullen

4.00 Stars from 39 GoodReaders 

Review by Don

This is a cute but rather odd little book about Marie Antoinette that is told from by her pet pug, Sébastien.  Sébastien is a very spoiled and self centered little dog, as of course was his young mistress.

Now we need to pause here and consider a couple of things. First, the author has taken great liberty in her account of history, which from this aspect, the book is quite flawed. Secondly, when reading this to young children, be prepared to tell them the rest of the story, as I guarantee they will ask; I know as I have been there and done that with a couple groups of children. There is always at least one in the group, even at the first and second grade level, that is somewhat aware of Antoinette’s ultimate fate

That being said, this is a cute read. The use of the sardonic and spoiled dog allows the author to take some pretty nice shots at the French Court of that time and some of the personalities involved. Now I have always felt that Marie was sort of dealt a bad hand right from the start, but history is history and we sort of have to live with that. If you know pugs, you will see that the author also knows them.

The illustrations in this work are good. They are not the style that is a favorite of mine, but the kids seem to like it well enough and that is what really counts in a child’s book. The various pictures go from quite detailed to quite general and you do get a good feeling of what is going on through them as they go perfectly with the text. These are actually some very nice and mellow water colors here which are very well executed.

Now I would normally down grade this work as I truly dislike books, even children’s books that take too much liberty with history. The little dog and the authors humor shines through on this one though, so rather than take myself too serious, I will just chalk this up to a nice really, really fictionalized historical story and leave it as that. The kids like it, especially the little girls, and as I said, that is what counts.

~Don


MOI AND MARIE ANTOINETTE
by Lynn Cullen
Amy Young (Illustrator)

4.00 avg rating — 39 GoodReaders

Word Count: 1,512
Page Count: 32
Accelerated Reading level: 3.6  / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 113890
--samples pages available

updated August 2013

Review: MONSTER BUGS!

I'm always on the look-out for books that do double-duty. You know, cool practice readers that also educate. "Snowshoe Thompson" falls into this category, and so does MONSTER BUGS.

Here's a sample of what you will find:
(This sentence breaks follow what is in the book.)

The heaviest bug
is the goliath beetle of Africa.
How heavy is it?
Get two eggs
out of the fridge.
Hold them together
in your hand.
That's how heavy
one goliath beetle is.

As you can see the text is very kid-friendly. The author knows to give concrete examples – two eggs – that children can relate to, and the artist knows to show the bugs UP CLOSE.

The critters that the book discusses are: the goliath beetle, giant stag beetle, bombardier beetle, giant waterbug, stinkbug, walking sticks, pray mantises, army ants, ant lion, black widow, raft spider, tarantula, tarantula hawk, killer bees, assassin bugs, horseflies, atlas moth, sphinx moth, Madagascar hissing roach, and millipedes. Plenty of variation and plenty of information as children are exposed to various forms of bug 'attack' and bug 'defense'. There is everything from camouflage to boiling hot gases extruded from thoraxes.

For a STEP INTO READING book this one is fairly long at approximately 46 pages. I wouldn't expect most children to read it from beginning to end in one sitting, but they will certainly look at the drawings, and eventually get through the text as they try to figure out who does what.

This is a Very Good Non-Fiction book for elementary aged children. Written with First thru Third graders in mind, "Monster Bugs" delivers interesting text and great drawings that make kids WANT to read. The only consideration in purchasing this one is the grossness factor; it might not be right ever child if they are sensitive to one critter killing and eating another.

Pam~


MONSTER BUGS!
(Step-Into-Reading, Step 3)
by Lucille Recht Penner
Pamela Johnson (Illustrator)

Word Count: 961
Page Count: 48
Accelerated Reader: 3.2 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 14634
Lexile: 640L