Author(s): Stephen A Marshall

Birds & Animals

A beautifully illustrated dictionary of 26 insects.

"Insects A to Z" uses an accessible and successful format to describe 26 insects. Each page features two full-color photographs of the insect and one or two descriptive paragraphs. There are also the Latin and common names of the order, family, genus and species, as well as information on geographic distribution. Fact boxes for each entry provide at-a-glance information detailing each insect's scientific name, diet, average size and the location at which each was photographed.

The 26 insects are:

Army ants Bumble bees Cicadas Darner dragonflies Earwigs Fireflies Grasshoppers Hummingbird moths Ichneumonid wasps Jewel beetles Katydids Lacewings Mosquitoes Net-winged midges Owlflies Paper wasps Queen termites Robber flies Spider wasps Tiger beetles Urania moths Viceroy butterflies Weevils Xylocopid bees Yucca moths Zebra clubtails.

The book has a varied audience: middle school students exploring topic ideas, younger students interested in wildlife and advanced early readers who still enjoy picture books. Accurate and up-to-date information and an informal presentation make "Insects A to Z" an engaging view into the world of insects.