BEES, WASPS, AND ANTS

This handsome hardcover (one of four in the new ``Golden Junior Guides'' series) is a bargain at $4.95, with dozens of vivid color illustrations. Cutaways display both the insides and outsides of insect nests and eggs; enlarged drawings show specialized features like barbed stingers and pollen sacks. The brief but logically organized text begins with a definition of insects, gives tips for distinguishing among bees, wasps, and ants, and describes 20 different species. An abundance of odd facts will spur further reading—``There are 120,000 different kinds of bees, wasps and ants''; ``Ants can float but they cannot swim.'' Drawings are not to scale, and scientific names and locations are omitted; still, an excellent introduction to these familiar insects. Index. (Nonfiction. 5-10)