The San Francisco Insect Zoo is home to thousands of insects and related arthropods (including arachnids, crustaceans, millipedes, and centipedes), displayed here in appealing color photos showing complete and incomplete metamorphosis—mating, hatching, forming of pupas, and emerging as adults. The accompanying text describes feeding, housing, collecting, and displaying insects; unfortunately, it is written in a dry, difficult style with neither diagrams nor glossary to help with specialized terms—though it introduces a unique treat: visiting the Zoo on its annual ``What's Bugging You? Day,'' and sampling an edible insect buffet. Interesting topic; less-than- satisfying presentation. Index. (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1991
ISBN: 0-525-67325-3
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1991
A handsome introduction to desert animals and plants. On a typical two-page spread depicting summer birds, four species are shown with a page of descriptive text and a full-color drawing. Size and scale are not given; scientific names appear only in the index. Since illustrations are not captioned, the viewer is lured into some minor detective work in order to distinguish the ash-throated flycatcher from the black-throated sparrow. Other illustrations combine above- and below-ground views with inserts showing enlargements. There are interesting bits of nature lore here: the road runner has a patch of black on his back to absorb additional heat; the Texas horned lizard squirts a thin stream of blood from its eyes to irritate its predators; eggs of a Couch's spadefoot toad hatch in a single day. Still, less successful in capturing the panorama of desert life than Bash's Desert Giant: The World of the Saguaro Cactus (1989). Index. (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Aug. 14, 1991
ISBN: 0-688-09382-5
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1991
A visually appealing, informative companion to Scaly Babies: Reptiles Growing Up (1988) describes the life cycles of five amphibians, including salamanders, frogs, and toads. Johnston stresses the environmental importance of the more than 4,000 amphibian species and their role in nature's balance. Known for their thin, moist skin, most live on land but return to the water to lay their jellylike eggs. Color photos of the vivid red poison dart frog and strands of toad eggs, like long stands of black pearls, are especially intriguing. Scientific names, size, and range not included. Glossary; index. (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Aug. 14, 1991
ISBN: 0-688-09605-0
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1991
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