Busy Builders (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Busy Builders Elizabeth Bush Munro, Roxie . Busy Builders; written and illus. by Roxie Munro. Cavendish, 2012. 40p. Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-7614-6105-0 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-0-7614-6106-7 $17.99 Ad Gr. 2-4. Eight insects and one arachnid are showcased here for their interesting approaches to domestic architecture. The honeybee community in its waxen hive will be most familiar, but the red harvester ants in their underground burrows, organ-pipe mud daubers in their tubes, pine processionary caterpillars in their solar-heated silk nests, and paper hornet hives of wood slivers and spit are equally intriguing. Munro's chosen format sends a perplexing mixed message regarding the intended audience, though. Each creature is introduced in a detailed, colored-ink image that extends across an oversized double spread with a simple header: "This is a Honeybee. Where does it live?" The subsequent spread offers a close-up (also oversized) that seems to carry over the visual appeal to a preschool/primary-aged crowd. The paragraph of accompanying text, however, is quite a bit more sophisticated in both concepts and vocabulary, evident in text such as "Patrol ants are stationed at the entrance, while other ants go out to forage for food. One harvester ant nest reportedly extended fifteen feet (4.6 m) below the ground and contained 436 chambers." Newly independent readers who have already developed an interest in critters that buzz, crawl, and creep may have sufficient background to handle the terminology with minimal assistance, but younger listeners may need definitions and explanations along the way from an adult reader. A brief glossary and an even briefer list of further resources are included. Copyright © 2012 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois