I'm a Pill Bug (Nature: a Child's Eye View)
*Starred Review* PreS-Gr. 2. Many children know pill bugs as roly-polies and think of them as insects. In this picture book, a pill bug narrates a fascinating account of life among his humble yet admirable fellow crustaceans. In an easy-to-follow, conversational style, he explains what pill bugs eat and excrete, why they live near people, how they protect themselves against predators, why they shed and then eat their shells ("Yum! Very nutritious"), how they reproduce, and more. The final pages describe how to find pill bugs, touch them, and even keep one indoors as a guest before putting it back, since "He'll want to be with his family during the cold winter!" The lucid, matter-of-fact text answers the main questions children may have about the critters as well as some they might not have thought to ask. Meanwhile, handsome cut-paper collages re-create the pill bugs' world in realistic yet simplified terms. One series of pictures shows what happens when a pill bug encounters an ant, allowing even nonreaders to "read" what happens: the pill bug curls into a hard ball to ward off the ant's attack. Like others in the Nature: A Child's Eye View series, this excellent science picture book was originally published in Japan.Carolyn PhelanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved