Gr 4-8-Beccaloni identifies the largest representative of major orders of insects, arachnids, and myriapods. Each spread offers basic information plus a dramatic life-size photo and a small world map indicating the animal's range. Largest can mean heaviest, longest, or those with the greatest wingspan. All will amaze browsers and encourage budding entomologists to search for additional information. (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Drawing on children's innate fascination with creepy crawlies and the success of Steve Jenkins' Actual Size (2004), this book presents 35 of the world's biggest, longest, and heaviest bugs, from beetles, grasshoppers, and butterflies to praying mantises, spiders, and millipedes and even the lesser-known vinegaroon (an arachnid that resembles a scorpion) and solifugid (an arachnid that resembles a spider). Double-page spreads feature each bug's statistics, a map with its area of distribution, and straightforward text that explains its living conditions, eating habits, and life cycle as well as the difficulty of capturing some of these elusive creatures. The highlights, of course, are the numerous life-size and up-close full-color photographs of the bugs set against both white backgrounds and in their natural environments. The photograph of a Chan's megastick, the world's longest insect, requires a foldout page. Further information and a list of references conclude this high-interest title. Although the text can be challenging and no glossary is offered, the visual appeal alone will entice even the most reluctant readers.--Leeper, Angela Copyright 2010 Booklist