A brief introduction to 11 of the invertebrate phylla, (including protozoan, porifera, arthropoda, mollusca, and echinodermata), giving examples of common species and information on body parts and functioning. The soft charcoal drawings on each page sometimes include such objects as a bottle-cap or finger to provide scale when the animal is enlarged; unfortunately, some of the drawings are truncated by the gutter or page edge. The writing is lively but occasionally awkward ("Finally, even the terrible garden slug is really a true snail, only its shell is so small as to be almost gone"). This would have been enhanced by a diagram showing the phylla in order of complexity. Pronunciation guides in the text; glossary; annotated bibliography; index.
