HARVESTMEN. Secret Operatives.

"These volumes discuss the title animals' physical characteristics, life cycles, and danger to humans. Markle's clear and detailed narratives, along with instructive close-up photographs of the exterior and interior anatomies of the title arachnids, will fascinate readers and make them instant experts on the creatures." --The Horn Book Guide

"These books are very well done, with phenomenally great photographs. There are extreme close-ups of body parts: eyes, feet, inside the baby spider nests. There are many good photographs of spiders doing their daily spider thing, including eating prey or sucking blood out of their host. There are a lot of pictures of infant spiders. The books follow them through their life cycle. They also show photographs of the arachnids molting, mating, and maturing. The books contain small sidebars and cross-section drawings of each arachnid. Large fonts and few words on the page make the books easier to read. The book Ticks discusses diseases carried by ticks. Anyone interested in spiders and arachnids is going to love these books. They are well researched by Sandra Markle and the language is accessible to younger readers. Each book contains activities and More Arachnid Defenders." --Library Media Connection

"In some parts of the world the arachnid called the harvestman is called Daddy Longlegs--a close relative of spiders in a separate classification. Full-color photographs make this book especially informative. Detailed pictures of the inside and outside of the harvestman are shown. Throughout the book, words that are hard to pronounce are phonetically spelled in parentheses. Interesting structures such as the pharynx, ozopore, tracheae, hindgut, and foregut are visually represented and described. These close-up photographs reveal details about the harvestmen that are extraordinary! This book goes into detail about how the harvestman becomes an adult through incomplete metamorphosis. Self-defense mechanisms, armed warfare, the manner in which they protect their eggs, and how they eat are additional topics discussed in this book. In addition to all of the facts and information presented in this book, there is information on how the harvestman is classified and on other arachnid defenders and what they look like. There is a glossary, a list of additional books to read, and a list of websites that contain even more information. Toward the end of the book there is a harvestman activity. Students follow steps in the activity to get a feel for how these long-legged harvestmen investigate their world. This middle school book would be a great addition to any teacher's classroom library." --NSTA

"Markle follows her 'Insect World' series (Lerner, 2008) with a similarly designed overview of spiders, ticks, and scorpions. She presents a mix of common and less-common facts (not all arachnids have eight legs), and her commentary accompanies a particularly strong suite of illustrations featuring large, clear, labeled outside and inside views that display typical body parts. Photos go beyond the standard portraits to show, for instance, harvestmen mating and multiple shots of ticks feeding. Each volume also includes multimedia resource lists and a science activity designed to provide insight on the arachnid world without actually involving any live animals. First-rate." --School Library Journal, Series Made Simple