Scorpions! Strange and Wonderful.

Pringle, Laurence.  Scorpions! Strange and Wonderful.  Boyd's Mills Press     2013  32p   16.95 978-1-59078-473-0 elem/ms  Nonfiction  E-BN

This beautifully illustrated introduction to scorpions will find several kinds of readers: elementary youngsters who love science, middle-school reluctant readers who love bugs, and even some older students who need to see accurate sizes, etc. for their research.  Although it is clearly written as an introduction (no tables or charts, an easy-to-read, folksy narrative), it could well supplement an older student’s reading list if he or she is doing research on the subject.  The illustrations (by Meryl Henderson) of molting, an ambush, and the mating dance are very good and add immeasurably to the textual information.  Her depictions of body parts and of actual sizes are also excellent.  Pringle’s sense of wonder shines through in his language and in the way the text is interspersed with the pictures.  This one is a winner and should be in every elementary and middle-school collection.             

Summary: This beautifully illustrated introduction to scorpions will find several kinds of readers: elementary youngsters who love science, middle-school reluctant readers who love bugs, and even some older students who need to see accurate sizes, etc.

Scorpions                                             --Carol Kennedy