What to Expect When You're Expecting Larvae

"'You must be so excited,' Heos writes—and why wouldn't you be? You're about to give birth to larvae! This consistently amusing entry in the Expecting Animal Babies series presents itself as a reassuring guide for new insect parents and is arranged around Q&As. For example: 'Q. What will my babies look like? Will they resemble their mother or father? A. Surprise! Neither! They will look like worms.' The font size is needlessly small, but Heos' humor conquers all, whether discussing a place to lay eggs ('the dog doo of my dreams!'); urging patience ('You did the same thing when you were young'); and dispensing tough love ('Sorry, fly mommies and daddies. People think your maggots are yucky'). The format makes this more for pleasure than for study, though Heos works in plenty of facts (a sphinx moth multiplies its weight 10,000 times in 16 days!). Jorisch's spindly illustrations feel a bit low-key for such hilarity, but they capably portray the tough but rewarding (?) job of bringing cute little dung-eaters into the world."