Customer Reviews

Bugs Fandex (Fandex Family Field Guides)

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My 5 year old boy never seemed particularly interested in bugs, but when he got this as a gift, he loved the facts and close up pics. He especially liked the "scary" ones to show his sister. He liked it so well that he took it to show and tell for kindergarten :-)

"The Bugs Fandex"
(Workman Publishing)
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This is a fun, graphically striking educational tool, a "fandex" in which attached pages fan out from a central spoke, and each page gives information about a specific insect or bug. It's a nice educational item -- each page has information on the front and back, and while the text is densely packed, it is well balanced with the graphic design, in which the legs and antennae of various species poke out from the upper edges. As a field guide it may have limited uses, though... Many of the bugs are fairly common -- praying mantis, ants, etc. -- while others, which are chosen for their wow factor (like the scarab beetle) are unlikely to be found on your average field trip. Also, the uneven, unusual, multiple edges of the unique pages can make it difficult to put the pages back in place once the fan has been unfurled. This is certainly true for smaller children, so it might be frustrating if used out in the real world. For at-home use, though, this can be a lot of fun. The visual element is quite strong, and the information behind it seems pretty solid. (Joe Sixpack, ReadThatAgain children's book reviews)