Clarence Cottam

The Golden Guides, I’ve found, are a joy to get a quick overview of one subject or another. The fact that they’re pocket-sized also makes them great.

In this volume, Zim et al. present the great wide world of insects, being careful to avoid most non-insect arthropods (though giving them a shout-out when necessary). I learned quite a bit from the few pages this book contained, especially that most of the scary-looking decoration that bugs have isn’t for ruining our lives if we try to pick them up. It’s mostly for show. Good to know next time I want to pick up a rhinoceros beetle!

I think that this book would make an excellent gift to a child interested in the world of insects, and that it would make a fantastic springboard into a long-term interest, if not career, in entomology (the bug one, not the word one). It’s also fine for adults as well.… (altro)