Over the Steamy Swamp

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Kindergarten-Grade 2-- A ravenous mosquito, cruising the swamp in search of food, is too distracted to notice a hungry dragonfly ready to make a meal of her. In turn, the dragonfly is being sized up by a drooling frog, who is watched by a greedy fish, etc. The long chain of predators and prey ends with a hunter in a pith helmet about to be eaten by a lion. In a surprising turn of events, the mosquito bites the lion's nose. His bellows stop everyone short; the assorted creatures suddenly realize that each is being stalked by something else; and they flee in all directions. Only the smallest, the mosquito, has had a successful hunt. Geraghty's tongue-in-cheek look at the food chain is a clever, entertaining story. Unfortunately, it is marred by his illustrations, which are a cacophony of garish color that masks the beauty of the natural landscape. More troubling are the malicious creatures leering at their prey. To imply to young readers that the natural food chain involves evil intent on the part of animals is misleading. Only the human hunter merits this portrayal, since he alone hunts for sport. While older children might not draw such a conclusion and would be amused by the humor of the glaring predator turned bug-eyed prey, younger readers deserve a more accurate view of an ecosystem. --Virginia E. Jeschelnig, Willoughby-Eastlake Public Library, Willowick, OH
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