The insect world receives a flawed, interactive overview. With one topic per spread (habitat, social structure, defense mechanisms, etc.), a central pop-up draws attention and is surrounded by thematically related facts and illustrations supplemented by further movable elements. A pull-tab demonstrates a trapdoor spider’s ambush; another draws an adult ladybug over its larval form; a third tucks a bee into an iris to gather pollen. A couple of flipbooks, while delightful in concept, operate too fast for adequate display of the animation effect. This book regrettably throws spiders and other non-insects into the mix—a common error but one that kids’ books should really move beyond. Just because something is creepy-crawly and has many legs is no reason to ignore basic taxonomy, even if you want to do something cool to demonstrate millipede walking action. (Pop-up nonfiction. 5-8)
