Two books reviewed in the forthcoming issue of the Horn Book Guide:
From Bearport, Meish Goldish's Deadly Praying Mantis
From Lerner, Sandra Markle's Praying Mantises: Hungry Insect Heroes
Nothing* p.o.'d the late Zena Sutherland more than a nonfiction children's book ascribing virtue or venality to animals.
*Except maybe simultaneous translation in dialogue, as in "'Hola, Juan!' exclaimed the pretty teacher to the new brown-eyed and chubby-cheeked boy, 'Hello.'"
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"'Hola, Juan!' exclaimed the friendly bear to the venal brown-eyed and chubby-cheeked squirrel, 'Hello.'"
I'm sure Cesar Millan would also have a problem with one of his clients using "virtue or venality" to describe one of their pack. (Butch, I mean, Lucy is neither, by the way.)
Yes, but "deadly" doesn't necessarily mean evil and cruel. They kill stuff. It's a fact.
Sure, but so does everything else. Yet there's a shortage of books on Deadly Dolphins and Deadly Pandas and Deadly Bunnies.
"Oh, no!" cried the bamboo. "Here comes the Deadly Panda, alas."
Whereas a praying mantis will eat its siblings as they emerge from the egg sac, and they will grab bugs and devour them ALIVE, so yeah, I think "hungry" and "deadly" are fitting attributes for mantises.
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