EAGEN, Rachel . Rats Around Us . ISBN 978-0-7787-2501-5 ; ISBN 978-0-7787-2508-4 . LC 2010011672. FIELD, Jon Eben . Scurrying Cockroaches . ISBN 978-0-7787-2502-2 ; ISBN 978-0-7787-2509-1 . LC 2010011286. GLEASON, Carrie . Feasting Bedbugs, Mites, and Ticks . ISBN 978-0-7787-2500-8 ; ISBN 978-0-7787-2507-7 . LC 2010009552. RODGER, Marguerite . Termites and Other Home Wreckers . ISBN 978-0-7787-2503-9 ; ISBN 978-0-7787-2510-7 . LC 2010011671. ea vol: 32p. (Creepy Crawlies Series). diags. photos. further reading. glossary. index. Web sites. CIP. Crabtree . 2010. PLB $26.60; pap. $8.95. Gr 3-5 Profusely illustrated overviews profile a gaggle of infamous pests. In each one, short paragraphs of lively text cover essential information about the featured animals: distinctive physical and behavioral characteristics of particular groups/species, classification, basic anatomy, feeding habits, habitats, etc.; outline their evolution and historical relationship to humans; and offer tips to prevent infestations and for knowing what to do when they occur. Each title also includes sections with movie and literary trivia, idioms, and so on, tied to the animals and intriguing miscellaneous facts. (For instance, cockroaches can survive 12 to 15 times the amount of radiation humans can endure.) Color photographs complement the text on almost every page. Life cycle diagrams are also included. A few of the photos in these sections are just for laughs (e.g., a man cringes beneath a giant cockroach; a startled woman looks into the compound eyes of an enormous fly). Small silhouettes of the animals, massed together, decorate the page corners. These broad, entertaining books will be good companion volumes for more detailed introductions on some of the same creatures, such as Shelley Bueche's Bedbugs (Gale, 2005) and Sophie Lockwood's Flies (The Child's World, 2007). Karey Wehner, formerly at San Francisco Public Library

If the rise in bedbug infestations across the U.S. doesn't make your skin crawl, this Creepy Crawlies title will. The informational yet easy-to-read text in double-page spreads explains the classification, anatomy, life cycles, and ideal feeding and living conditions for mites, ticks, and bedbugs as well as the differences among them (e.g., bedbugs are insects, while mites and ticks belong to the same family as spiders). Covered are their dangers and surprising helpfulness in some cases, such as mites that decompose compost piles; their infestation and removal; and their predators (unfortunately, equally pesky cockroaches, centipedes, and fire ants will feed on bedbugs). Children will be most interested in the long history, myths, and lore associated with these pests as well as the eye-catching layout, with numerous enlarged color photographs of bedbugs, mites, and ticks, some engorged beyond imagination. Appended lists of Web sites and museums, a bibliography, and a glossary conclude this equally repulsive and fascinating book. Pair it with Nicola Davies' What's Eating You? (2007) for more gross-out parasite facts.