Walking Sticks: The World's Longest Insects

Just how long is the world's longest insect? A walking stick called Chan's megastick is nearly as long as three new pencils placed end to end. Not only that, but these supersized insects are also masters of disguise. They look so much like sticks that some animals can't even tell when one is standing right next to them! These are just some of the surprising facts children will discover as they explore the fascinating world of these extra-long insects. In Walking Sticks: The World's Longest Insects, eye-popping color photos paired with simple, grade-appropriate text will engage children as they learn about the natural habitat, physical characteristics, diet, life cycle, and behavior of this supersized animal. A comparison diagram is also included to show readers the animal in relation to a familiar object.

Gr 1-3-Browsers and report writers alike will enjoy this series about giant animals. Readers will learn about the featured animals' diets, defenses, habitats (all titles include a map), physical characteristics, and life cycles. The size of the creatures is compared to objects young children would know, such as soccer balls, pencils, or refrigerators. Each spread features large, vibrant, color photos that emphasize the magnitude of the animals, a few sentences of text, and text boxes outlined in coordinating borders, such as dog collars or feathers, that offer additional facts (e.g., "One bite from a king cobra has enough poison to kill an elephant or 50 people"). Environmental issues and pet care are addressed in some titles. Just as in Bearport's "SuperSized!" (2007) and "More SuperSized!" (2010), each book concludes with a list of related animals and a picture glossary, which will help students discover visually the meaning of new words. α(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

This offering from the Even More Supersized! series introduces readers to the world’s longest insect: Chan’s megastick, a walking stick native to the rain forests of northern Borneo that can grow to a length of 22 inches. Using double-page-spread chapters, Gray provides a wide range of basic information about this species. He details size, habitat, eating practices, predators, defense mechanisms, and life cycle. Each spread contains a brief section of text; crisp, captioned, full-color photographs; and an occasional map or related graphic. The back matter includes examples of other long insects. The photographs are particularly well chosen; captioned arrows call attention to structures that might otherwise be difficult to see—important for an animal whose specialty is camouflage. This makes a good choice for beginning researchers as well as curious browsers. Grades 1-4. --Kay Weisman