Review: Amazing Migrators Series

9781512486384

$26.65

I don't believe I have any books about wildebeests. (checking) Okay, I have two. But one is ten years old, and the other is part of a series on baby animals. Obviously a hole in my collection I needed to fill.

9781512486360

$26.65

Dragonflies I have. But these aren't JUST books about the particular animals:

With such small, thin wings, it's hard to imagine dragonflies flying long distances. But some dragonflies are migrators! Some dragonflies even travel for thousands of miles. From egg to adult dragonfly and then on through their migration, follow the journey of migrating dragonflies!

Usually when we think of migrating, birds and butterflies come to mind.  It is interesting to hear about other animals that move large distances throughout the seasons. In addition to the expected monarch butterflies and the above titles, we can read about arctic terns, salmon, and whales.

In the first title we learn that baby wildebeest are walking within minutes of birth, so they can keep up with the rest of the herd. Minor quibble - it says the wildebeest "eats grass with its black snout." Since every dictionary I checked agreed that the snout is the nose and mouth, I think that could have been said a little better.

Dragonfly babies (or nymphs), by comparison, spend a lot of time as nymphs, and don't migrate until they are fully formed adults. I remember once when I was young, rowing my little inflatable boat around a pond, when some water washed in and I was suddenly sitting in what seemed like hundreds of dragonfly nymphs. I like bugs as a general rule, but nymphs are not as pretty as their parents, and...well, let's just say it still makes me shudder 40 years later. They are still fascinating creatures, and I think kids will enjoy the extreme close-ups of these very fast-moving animals!

End pages of each title include fun facts, more (related) migrators, glossary, index, and links for further reading.