Backyard Hunter: The Praying Mantis - Hardcover

Grade 2-4-- Superb color photographs, marvelously detailed and of excellent composition, highlight this introduction to the praying mantis. Focusing on a brood of newly hatched Chinese mantises (a common U. S. species), the text briefly describes the insects' physical and behavioral characteristics. Sharp, close-up photographs illustrate the text on almost every page; over half are full-page shots. The text, however, is marred by weak organization and a spasmodic writing style. Topics change suddenly from one paragraph to another, with few connecting sentences; a passage on the Carolina mantis has no relation to the rest of the text. Word usage is occasionally inappropriate; in a discussion on reproductive behavior the text states that the male mantis "donates" sperm to the female. Thus, the act of procreation has the connotation of being an act of charity. The text also omits some useful information on the insects' average size, and little data is given on the senses of sight or smell. There's a minor inaccuracy--the text states that all insects have two antennae when, actually, a small group of primitive insects do not have antennae at all. Johnson's Mantises (Lerner, 1984) is a more thorough, better organized, and more smoothly written overview of the subject; however, it is on a higher reading level. Libraries that don't have Johnson's title will find Lavies' excellent photographs useful. --Karey Wehner, San Francisco Public Library
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