Wait and See

Gr 2-5–Vivid close-up full- or double-page color photographs show a praying mantis on a variety of plants and flowers in search of food. An omniscient observer follows the insect’s activities in verse: “If it’s hungry/ and it’s hunting,/ and if you don’t/ go away,/ you might see it/ make a sudden move/ to snatch its prey.” Large font is placed directly on the photographs and sometimes called out in a colored strip along one side of the picture. The narrative ends with the praying mantis’s nymphs emerging from an egg sac to begin their lives. A brief note at the end provides more information on the type of praying mantis shown and encourages readers to keep an eye out for things in nature—and then to be patient and observe. Amazing detail of the plants—showing petals and pistons—and photographs of the praying mantis combined with rhythmic text will draw readers in. The leap from the mantis eating its prey to hatching nymphs, while skipping over mating, feels a bit disjointed.