[.ca] Caterpillars, Bugs and Butterfiles (ISBN 1559716746)

Excellent learning tool.:
I purchased 5 books of this series for my five year old daughter for Christmas, as she wanted a "field guide" like her older sisters when exploring our 45 acres of woods. After reviewing these books before giving them, we decided to use them as part of our science program for our home school. These books have bright and colorful pictures, short accurate explanations of the animal, their habitat, eating habits, and even some of the popular anecdotes that go along with the animal. (For example, the myth about the stripes on the wooly bear caterpillar in relation to the length of winter) It has the appropriate warning for studying certain animals. What we enjoy most is that many of these animals can be found in our back yard to furthur study. Each book deals with three types of animal, such as Caterpillars,Bugs, and Butterflies. They are separated into sections dealing with each type. At the end of the section is a wonderful hands-on project the child can basically do on their own within the recommended age group (9-12) or with some assistance for a younger age group like my daughter. My 5 year old begs us to read these books to her and loves the projects. I highly recommend this book and others in the series for those who want their children to learn about nature and how to respect it.

Cute, but not too comprehensive:
I ordered this for my sons fifth birthday and while I found it cute, it is just okay for identifying caterpillars as it is not very comprehensive. Our childrens librarian recommended: Peterson First Guides: Caterpillars by Amt Bartlett Wright and that has been much more helpful for identifying many more species of caterpillars, butterflies and moths. We live in Northern Indiana and many of the caterpillars we have found have not been in this book but in the Peterson's book. My son loves it, though.