Diane Swanson, an award-winning children’s nature author, has turned her talents to the world of bugs in her newest book. The first chapter provides a general introduction to insects, their role in nature, prolific numbers, and wide-ranging habitats, while the next seven chapters focus on the hunting and eating habits of specific kinds of bugs. Dragonflies, robber flies, various “killer bugs,” mantids, wasps, ant and aphid lions, and beetles all rate a chapter. Readers will discover many amazing facts about how insects are adapted to hunting and killing other insects and creatures as big as small birds, frogs, salamanders, and small snakes.

Along with the gruesome details about poison-injecting, body-sucking bugs that readers will love to hate, there is information about insect life cycles, defence mechanisms, and habitats. The author has also dug up some interesting myths and little-known facts about these fascinating creatures. Did you know that dragonflies can reach 55 km/h in bursts of speed while hunting and that backswimmers can store enough air to last up to six hours underwater? Those who fear all bees and wasps may take heart in the knowledge that a single colony of wasps can capture and carry more than 225 insects in one day to feed their babies. And ladybug larvae can eat up to 500 aphids in a day.

Colourful close-up photographs of many of the creatures are provided by the Royal British Columbia Museum, as are a number of black and white pen and ink illustrations. The designer has also included several old wood engravings of insects. The brightly coloured cover is attractive, although the bug photos on it look lifeless compared with some others inside.

There is a lot of detail in the descriptions of the insects covered and the book is more text-heavy than most books of a similar nature. It will be a great help to students doing research on the bug world and a boon to truly dedicated bug lovers, but it is not a light read to be flipped through with only casual interest.