What to Expect When You’re Expecting Larvae – book review

Bridget Heos presents and answers the questions expecting insect parents might have IF they were capable of asking questions (and needed the answers) in an informative and amusing way. “Congratulations, insect parent-to-be! You must be very excited. You may be feeling proud but also a little scared. Your babies will be tiny. How will you help them grow big and strong, like you? Don’t worry. You have instincts. They will tell you how to be a mother or father.” Topics covered include : number of babies born/hatched, what they’ll look like, where insect mothers should lay their eggs, what the larvae will eat when they hatch, how to keep them safe from predators, and more. Inquiring insect parents may want to see their young grow up and fly away, but most of them won’t live that long, “By the time your young spread their wings, you will have passed away. Your children will know how to fly thanks to their instincts, just as you did at their age…Your young will grow up and mate and lay eggs that become new larvae, and the cycle starts all over again. The new parents will ask, ‘What will my babies look like?’ Well, not really. But because it is a good question, we will ask it for them.” Bright illustrations of chunky insects with huge eyes and goofy expressions are just the right canvas for this humorous collection of facts about insect babies.

Reviewed by YA Librarian