Backyard Detective: Critters Up Close
Grade 3-6-For the child who is drawn to creepy-crawly critters, Bishop's oversized volume offers hours of visual pleasure. Each of the seven double-page photo collages was computer generated from more than 60 of the photographer's individual images taken with the use of a laser trigger to trip a fast shutter and high-speed strobes to freeze the insects in motion. Creatures in the photo collages are life-size. In some pictures, a magnifying glass shows several insects two times larger than life-size; a hand lens shows them four times larger. Text-filled pages in this section, written in one long paragraph, contain tidbits of information about each creature in the preceding photo; animal/insect names are highlighted in colored type, with a small photo of each one somewhere on the page. Topics include critters that inhabit the ground; those that visit flowers or vegetables; toolshed inhabitants; creatures that dwell in weeds, bushes, and trees; and facts on insect flight. A four-page section offers general hints on how to attract wild creatures to your yard and observe them without destroying their habitats. A few notes on safety are included. An eight-page picture index leads readers to each creature in photo illustration and text. Similarly formatted, Michael Gaffney's Secret Forests (Golden, 1994; o.p.) is about insects and small creatures that dwell in tropical, pine, and leafy forests. Neither book offers sufficient information for reports, but Bishop gives even youngsters who don't have backyards a close-up and personal view of the natural world.Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OHCopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.