Title: Ants
Author: Kay de Silva
Publisher: Aurora
ISBN: 978-1-523417841
“Ants are insects that are close relatives of wasps and bees,” Kay de Silva begins her children’s book, Our Amazing World: Ants.
~ What ~
Part of the Our Amazing World series, this forty-page paperback targets children ages three to twelve years old. With no scary scenes, the educational book can be used as a tool to learn about the insect or as a reference book. Usually, photographs are on one side of the pages with one to five paragraphs on the opposite pages.
The ant is the focal point of the book, covering twenty-one chapters of two pages each. Topics discussed are its anatomy, habitat, senses and communication, movement, water, diet, colonies, queens and drones, works, soldiers, life cycle, enemies and slaves, and farming. Also mentioned are the different types of ants: army, harvester, leaf cutter, trap jaw, and weaver as they live harmoniously in their groups.
~Why ~
Having a two-and-a-half-year-old granddaughter, she likes looking at pictures of animals and insects. Although this one has a lot of big and complicated words, she can still understand some of the descriptions and characteristics as she looks at the half to more than a full-page, full-color photographs. My favorite section was the various types of ants and how they live. I like how the author italicized some of the hard-to-understand words.
~ Why Not ~
Those who do not like reading may pass on this book as there is plenty of it for the advanced reader. Due to some of three syllable words, it would be best to read it out loud to beginner readers. I do not agree with the author’s evolutionary time frame.
~ Who ~
Once a lawyer who also worked in corporate communications, de Silva is dedicated to writing educational books that delight both young and old. She has two children and lives in Australia.
~ Wish ~
Because some of the wording is complicated and hard to read for the beginner, it would be nice if more simplified words were used in another series for the younger children.
~ Want ~
If you are looking for a set of well-written books that explain the life of animals and insects and some of their species, this would be a thoughtful choice for an advanced reader. It would make an ideal sourcebook for school papers and projects.
Thanks to the author for furnishing this complimentary book to read and review.
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GRAMMARLY was used to check for errors in this review.
connywithay 