Mosquito Bite (Revised)

Gr 3-5 -Black-and-white photographs of an evening game of hide-and-seek are interspersed with stunning color-enhanced microphotographs that record the life cycle of another -seeker -: a female "Culex pipiens" mosquito looking for a meal. Siy's clear, readable text describes the boy's strategies in avoiding his human -seeker - and the parallel search of "Culex" in the growing dusk. Kunkel's exceptional SEM photos provide unbelievable glimpses of red blood cells crammed in a tiny capillary, the feathery -scales - on a mosquito's wings, and the complex cutting mechanism of its proboscis. A section with further information on mosquitoes and the global health problems they pose, another on microphotography, and a list of further resources are appended. Even if you already own Dorothy Hinshaw Patent's "Mosquitoes" (Holiday House, 1986) or Bobbie Kalman's up-to-date "The Life Cycle of a Mosquito" (Crabtree, 2004), this title is fascinating for its photography and the informative text and captions. It deserves a place in most collections." -Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY" Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.