Review by Booklist Review
Ages 6-8. Beginning with an explanation of why "a beetle could never be as big as a bear," Facklam introduces 13 insects of impressive size. Each double-page spread features a realistic, full-size illustration of a bug in a setting that makes its size (but not its habitat) apparent: a walking-stick climbing on Tinker toys, a Goliath beetle crawling across a plate of sandwich cookies, or a great owlet moth flying in front of shirts on hangers in a closet. Alongside the illustration, the text describes some of the features and habits of the bug and alludes to its maximum size. The full-color, airbrushed paintings are quite amazing. Their realistic, close-up views are certain to intrigue young audiences. ~--Carolyn Phelan
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-6-Concisely written and well organized, this introduction offers a unique perspective on 13 of the world's largest insects. Illustrated life-size, the bugs are transposed from their natural habitats to a human home. On vivid, double-page spreads, each species is contrasted with common household objects to give readers a frame of reference as to scale. For instance, giant wetapungas (grasshopper relatives from New Zealand) rest on a baseball and bat, birdwing butterflies hover over an opened box of crayons, and a tarantula hawk wasp and its prey (a tarantula) engage in a battle to the death amidst spools of red, blue, and orange thread. A two-page introduction discusses basic insect anatomy and characteristics; thereafter, the text appears on every other page, set in a large, square box with a double border of white and a bold color that complements the paintings. The information given on any one creature is insufficient for reports, and similar material can be found in Seymour Simon's Little Giants (Morrow, 1983), which includes five of the same animals, and Sylvia Johnson's Beetles (1982) and Water Insects (1989, both Lerner). However, The Big Bug Book's unique and strikingly realistic illustrations make it recreational reading par excellence.-Karey Wehner, San Francisco Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Lifesized illustrations add immediacy to the fact-filled survey of walking sticks, birdwing butterflies, and longhorn harlequin beetles, among others -- big bugs, all. On each double-page spread, the author serves up enticing information about a single insect. Glos. From HORN BOOK 1994, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Thirteen giant insects are briefly described and dramatically portrayed in meticulous color illustrations by the author's son. Facklam (And Then There Was One, 1990, etc.) is a master of presenting scientific information clearly and succinctly while focusing on the kind of facts that stimulate appreciation of the natural world. Beginning with a discussion of how big insects can actually be and an overview of their anatomy, she devotes spreads to such unusual creatures as the giant wetapunga, the Atlas moth, and the Madagascar hissing cockroach. In the illustrations, the enormous wild insects are amusingly juxtaposed with settings that reinforce the lifesize scale: A six-inch Goliath beetle crawls on a plate of cookies, three-inch cockroaches climb alphabet blocks, and the six-inch walking stick balances on tinker toys. Unusually appealing and intriguing. Brief glossary, but scientific names aren't given. (Nonfiction. 5-12)
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