Bugs: A Closer Look at the World's Tiny Creatures

by Jinny Johnson

Describes the characteristics and behavior of wasps, scorpions, beetles, moths, spiders, fleas, dragonflies, grasshoppers, ants, bees, cockroaches, and mosquitoes

Genres: Picture Books

45 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1995

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well in my humble opinion, Jinny Johnson’s 1995 Bugs: a Closer Look at the World's Tiny Creatures gives potential readers a very good general introduction to both insects and arachnids (spiders and scorpions), suitable for both older children from about the age of eight or nine onwards, and also though for interested adults who might want a bit of information on insects and spiders but not overly much specifics and scientific jargon, with Bugs: a Closer Look at the World's Tiny Creatures providing enough of a featured narrative to give readers a good general impression but not so much detail so as to become textually overwhelming (and Jinny Johnson’s presented text also being accompanied by full colour and meticulously detailed realistic illustrations, both of the featured animals and often also of their diverse environments, such as for example ant mounts, flowers etc.). Furthermore, and for me personally quite importantly, I also do very much appreciate that in Bugs: a Closer Look at the World's Tiny Creatures Jinny Johnson also and thankfully does not simply consider all insects and arachnids as potentially horrid, as pests, as creatures to be feared and avoided, in other words, Johnson shows and describes both beneficial and harmful, destructive “bugs” (and yes, that Jinny Johnson also points out just how potentially deadly mosquitoes are on a global level, this is to be lauded, as indeed, many biologists, many scientists do consider mosquitoes amongst the world’s most dangerous creatures).

However, even though I would definitely recommend Bugs: a Closer Look at the World's Tiny Creatures, I do find two aspects of Jinny Johnson’s presented text a bit annoying and frustrating. For one, even though Johnson clearly points out that spiders and scorpions are arachnids and not insects (albeit they are of course closely related), considering just how often spiders and scorpions are still being labeled and approached as insects, perhaps it would be better if the sections on scorpions and spiders in Bugs: a Closer Look at the World's Tiny Creatures were to appear in a different area of the book and by themselves. And I definitely do find it majorly frustrating and a pretty significant academic shortcoming that there are no bibliographic materials whatsoever included in Bugs: a Closer Look at the World's Tiny Creatures and that this most definitely and majorly lessens the potential teaching and learning value of this otherwise very thorough and educational tome.