Cicadas!: Strange and Wonderful
Grade 3–5—This title examines one of the most remarkable life cycles in nature. A succinct text, set against the background of vivid watercolor paintings of the insects in natural settings, describes their physical characteristics; the distinctive characteristics of several world species; the basic cicada life cycle; and the remarkably prolonged one of periodical species. These insects remain underground as nymphs for 13 or 17 years before emerging en masse to metamorphose into adults. The text emphasizes that the thousands of large, red-eyed insects that appear regularly in parts of the U.S. (mostly in the East) are harmless and belong to a different order from locusts, with which they are often confused (an anecdote relates how Pilgrims were alarmed at encountering cicadas in 1634). Also described are annual cicadas; how males generate their loud, buzzing mating call; cicadas' place in world folklore; threats to their survival, etc. The realistic paintings extend the text; smaller, boxed illustrations, overlaid on spreads, offer close-ups of anatomical features, developmental stages, and so on. Maps indicate geographical range, while a chart lists the years of the insects' emergence in various states. An author's note outlines Pringle's personal observations of cicadas and his recent efforts to establish some in a forest near his home. This smoothly written, beautifully illustrated title will fill a gap in most collections.—Karey Wehner, formerly at San Francisco Public Library(c) Copyright 2011.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.