What's That Bug? : Everyday Insects and Their Really Cool Cousins

What's That Bug? invites young readers to look at the insect world in the same way scientists and entomologists do. The book opens with a fascinating chart that clearly lays out the way the insect world is organized into orders or families; young readers will respond to the intriguing family names such as Hemipetra and Orthopetra in the same way they do the words Triceratops or Diplodocus. Larger-than-life illustrations show nine of the most important insect families that live in backyards, deserts, or jungles and make the connections between them. For example, the common housefly is shown to be a close cousin of the huge tropical robber fly that paralyzes victims with its poisonous beak. Strikingly illustrated, this book will be prized by nascent entomologists who want their science colorful, accurate, and interesting.

Nan Froman is a Canadian writer and editor who co-authored Into the Mummy's Tomb with Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves. She has contributed to dozens of children's books and edited such bestsellers as Polar the Titanic Bear and On Board the Titanic. Julian Mulock, a Toronto-based illustrator, perfected his insect drawing skills while working at the Royal Ontario Museum as a scientific illustrator. Since then his illustrations have appeared in many books and magazines for children, such as Owl and Chickadee.