WRIGGLE AND BUZZ

Loosely organized in four sections, this compendium features poetic narration, often by the creepy-crawlies themselves, along with facts and suggestions for observing and fostering habitats.

The first three sections introduce specific critters, from millipedes and monarch butterflies to bombardier beetles and bumblebees, some 25 species in all. (Mole uses the unscientific, catch-all term bug without explanation, though in the final section he makes distinctions between insects and other species, such as gastropods and arachnids.) The author occasionally highlights specific habitats such as ponds and includes information, especially in the concluding section, on the important roles these creatures play in regulating our planet’s web of life, from decomposing rotting matter to feeding on garden pests. From a zoological class containing millions of species, Mole plucks plenty of wow-factor snippets to entertain young children. A cockroach’s strong exoskeleton can withstand 900 times its own weight—the equivalent of a 7-year-old being able to hoist two blue whales! New Zealand glow-worms lure their unsuspecting prey with luminescent snot. Leafcutter ants don’t eat their harvest; they feed it to a tasty fungus, which the ants feed on in turn. Stylistically, Mole’s unconcerned with poetic scansion, instead favoring occasional rhyme and apt metaphor. In “Grasshoppers,” the “field fizzes with chirps and clicks.” Ming’s pictures strike a nice balance between veracity and bright, stylized appeal.

Useful, basic information delivered in an upbeat, colorful package.