(3) K-3 Small World series. Illustrated by Francesca D'Ottavi. "The little honeybee settles in the heart of a daisy's unfurling petals." In elegant text that verges on poetic, this is the story of a worker bee's life through the seasons, with information about queens, drones, diets, and structures along the way. The factually accurate narrative is illustrated with zoomed-in, neon-bright photorealistic illustrations; sidebar bubbles on each spread give additional information.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) K-3 Small World series. Illustrated by Francesca D'Ottavi. Behavior, defense mechanisms, and life stages--from egg through larva, pupa, and adult beetle--are accurately explained as readers follow a single ladybug. Though information is clear, the poetic narration personifies the insect ("the brave little beetle"), and almost always uses the diminutive "little" before the noun. Bright, zoomed-in digital illustrations of a small world in large scale follow the text closely.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian