My Awesome Summer by P. Mantis

May 1, 2017

K-Gr 2-P. Mantis joins the world on a beautiful sunny spring day in May. She is happy to share the aphid-covered bush on which she is born with her 150 brothers and sisters. As she doesn't yet have wings, her defenses against predators include pretending to be a stick and blending in with her environment using camouflage. P. Mantis sheds her skin several times as she grows quickly over the course of the summer. When the aphids are gone, P. Mantis snacks on other insects, including her own siblings. When her wings finally come in, P. Mantis can move about more freely, but there are many dangers to avoid-spider webs, flying bats and birds, and other hungry creatures. In October, P. Mantis returns to the bush where she was born to lay her own egg case, which will hatch in the spring. As winter approaches, she settles into a deep sleep. Meisel uses gorgeous, vividly painted illustrations and a gentle text to share the story of the life cycle of a praying mantis. The book is formatted like a series of first-person journal entries, and it is easy to follow the journey of the young mantid. Children will learn the time line for each developmental stage that the insect goes through. Although the circle of life can be harsh at times, this tale is told in a light and even humorous way. Back matter is chock-full of facts that will pique the interest of those eager to learn more. VERDICT The perfect introduction to the life cycle of the praying mantis for those ready to handle a mantid-eat-mantid world.-Amy Shepherd, St. Anne's Episcopal School, Middleton, DE

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2017
A journallike text paired with detailed illustrations recounts the day-to-day life of a praying mantis.Born in the springtime and mature in the summer, P. Mantis' diary entries are laced with a dry humor as she recounts such adventures as shedding her skin, eating her siblings and other insects, nearly being eaten by another sibling, and enjoying the great outdoors before laying her eggs and lying down to "take a long nap" in the fall. The wry, first-person voice ("I ate one of my brothers. Okay, maybe two") seems a bit at odds with the beautiful acrylic paintings. Lush, colorful illustrations that present riots of leaves and blooms that initially capture the eye reveal garden violence on closer inspection as readers finally zero in on the protagonist chowing down on a sibling, headfirst. Their immediate loveliness may have readers wondering whether perhaps a more cartoonish style would be a better fit for the text, akin to Harry Bliss and Doreen Cronin's Diary of a Worm (2003). This general criticism aside, there's much to appreciate about this fact- and humor-laden picture book, including its front and back endpapers, which are jammed with information about praying mantises. Though the rather jarring juxtaposition of text and art styles keeps it from being totally awesome, this is a fun and fascinating read. (Picture book. 6-8)

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March 1, 2017
Grades K-2 On May 17, a praying mantis emerges, along with 150 of her brothers and sisters. Five months later, she returns to the same bush to lay eggs for another generation to be born. What happens in between is a fact-filled, humorous look at the life of a praying mantis. Told in diary format and in short sentences, narrator P. Mantis shows what life is like for her and her fellow mantises. This includes everything from hiding from predators by pretending to be a stick, eating aphids, eating her brothers and sisters (yikes!), and shedding skin over and over again. There's lots to learn here, especially because a praying mantis may not be so well known, and Meisel provides additional facts on the end papers. The bright, large-scale illustrations are full of details, which readers will likely delight in poring over, especially in wide-angle scenes where P. Mantis might be harder to spot. Perfect for fans of Doreen Cronin's Diary of a Worm (2003) or readers who like education with a dose of entertainment.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

May 1, 2017
In a pithy journal-like text, first-person (first-insect?) narrator P. Mantis provides readers with an up-close look at her five-month-long life cycle. She begins enthusiastically: May 17. I was born today! On emerging from the egg case: May 18. It was so crowded in the egg case. Really, really crowdedme and around 150 praying mantis brothers and sisters. Spanning late spring to mid-October, her breezy entries offer intriguing information about her species' growth, behavior, defenses ( my cool trick, pretending to be a stick blowing in the wind ), diet, and habitat. Meisel's friendly digitally enhanced acrylics match the narrative's informal, drily humorous tone. P. Mantis and her animal neighbors are realistically portrayed in the pictures, and Meisel manages to stay on the right side of anthropomorphism. Our guide is indistinguishable from her relatives; occasional call-outs in the art ( Here I am; I'm down here ) offer the only clues to her whereabouts. Alarming behaviors are reported in the same matter-of-fact way as molting or locomotion: July 19. Ran into one of my brothers. He tried to eat me. So I ate him. By mid-October, after laying her eggs in the bush where I was born, she concludes, I'm going to lie down now and take a long nap. Both front and back endpapers provide more-detailed information, including what actually happens at summer's end: rest in peace, P. Mantis. kitty flynn

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)