This is a book that I came upon Netgalley and chose that it looked interesting enough to try it out. The title for most won't give any clues to the actual contents of the story although the cover picture will most definitely give a clue to the reader.

The author starts off giving the reader an introduction to minibeasts, which is a much more polite word replacing creepy crawlies that I grew up with. He also explains how his passion for them came to be on one of those routine afternoons when things were heated up a bit. And I must say out of any other introduction I love this inclusion of the story as the passion of the author will continue to shine forth throughout the pages.

First of all I have been told this was a children's book. The formatting of nice colored photographs on each page, the brief captions under the photos and simplistic writing may agree with the classification.
However the length (which isn't bad for an older elementary kid), some material such as breeding insect photos and some of the close-ups of subjects just may be a bit more nightmarish for some children. This is definitely one I think would be good to have the responsible adult check it out first before letting it pass into their hands.

What I did enjoy with the book is the simple yet informative writing. Each section had a page-long introduction providing some background information, some model minibeasts with the reason they are included and also introducing indirectly a sense of what type of photographs will be seen by the reader when they flip the page.

Each photograph does come with a caption that explains the times the photo was maginified, a bit of a title comment and a little bit more explanation to the reader. Some of this information has been included in the introduction so for those who don't care for introductions than they can be skipped but in my opinion the introductions are worth it.

Another thing that I liked was the photographs, which are bright and focused on the smallest details of the subject. At times I wondered how this author was able to get so close to his topic besides by magnifying them. But his passion for them and their world shows, especially in the section that is based on portrait shots.

I know the world of minibeasts is humongous and Alan did a great job in selecting his inclusions. There were a few that were more known to people such as bees, mantids and butterflies but there were also others that many readers may not known of, especially when it comes to actual names like the peacock spiders and slaters (we have another name for these ones).

All in all it was a beautiful book and although it did make me wince with some of the spiders I must say he did a great job in redeeming them as well. I do think that anyone who likes these creatures, nature and/or are curious to get to know more of a little known group of creatures would most definitely find this a captivating read for their own shelves.

***I received a free copy to read of this book in exchange for an honest review.***

I loved the photos in here. Some made my skin crawl, but were beautiful at the same time. This would have been an amazing book for my son when he was younger. I plan to purchase it for my nephew. The facts are awesome, yet not long and too detailed.

Anyone who is interested in learning about bugs and other minibeasts will find much to enjoy in this book. The text provides a lot of worthwhile information, but it's the stunning photographs that really bring the subject to life.

Minibeasts is a great resource book for children who are fascinated by bugs, and it also contains enough interesting tidbits to grab the attention of many teens and adults, too. A copy of this should definitely be in every elementary school's library, and it will also make a solid addition to any child's personal book collection.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.


we LOVE book about animals here in this house... and this one was fantastic.. information, great photos, and so much fun to read with the kids.

ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher.

Broken down into segments focusing on characteristics of various "mini beasts" such as the use of color, evolutionary tools (like stalk eyes or pincers) and metamorphoses. The book has great companion photography and a good array of factoids. This would make a nice introduction to the world of bugs and insects for a young reader - a survey of some of the most interesting among them.

3.5/5

Absolutely gorgeous, gorgeous photography of a lovely variety of invertebrates. Each one has a little snippet about it: informative, interesting, but brief. Perfect for the casual entomologist in your life, or as an introductory piece for someone who you wish would appreciate invertebrates just a little bit more!

Minibeasts: True Rulers of Our World and the Key to our Survival by Alan Henderson offers readers insight into the micro world of the minibeasts reveals the critical roles these true rulers of our world play in our future survival. Simply put, without the invertebrates (insects) and other tiny critters, humans would not survive. While outlining the importance of the minibeast world, this book is also a visual feast of detail and color, capturing form and behavior that the naked eye isn’t normally able to see when encountering these small creatures. The result is a book that captivates the reader while at the same time inspiring a new appreciation for these magnificent animals. Lavishly illustrated with breathtaking macro-photography, each chapter focuses on a specific aspect of minibeasts and includes introductory text followed by images and informative captions. Among the topics covered are the jobs minibeasts perform that enable life on earth to exist, as well as the ways in which they have evolved to suit their environments and how we borrow ideas from them in the fields of biotechnology, engineering and design. As we will come to realize, from new medical drugs to hi-tech robotics, minibeasts provide a wealth of material for humans to draw on to help solve our 21-century problems.

Minibeasts is a fascinating book for the photography alone. The close up images of the insects are simply amazing ad well worth looking at all on their own. Add in the details about their adaptation and tricks to survive and this book is one that will stand up to multiple explorations. So many people think of the little creatures of the world as nothing more than pests or problems, but this book shows us the complexity, beauty, and ingenuity of these creatures as well as the role the play in the world. The text is solid, in depth enough that I learned a great deal and was highly engaged, but not so technical that I ever felt left behind or talked down to. There is even some humor in the chapter headings and information, so there is really nothing I can find to say against reading this book- unless of course the very idea of anything creepy crawly makes you shudder. I think that young adults and interested middle graders would get just as much from this book as any interested adult.

Minibeasts is a visually stunning book and a very informative read. I think that this should be in libraries and personal collections for anyone that is even vaguely interested in photography, biology, and the natural world.

The photography in Minibeasts is spectacular! I love that closeup and macro photography was used. This gave us readers a new look at these wonderful insects. My children and I enjoyed snuggling up and looking at all the different types of "minibeasts" What a great book for any age!!!!

My eight-year-old and I have been studying Minibeasts for our homeschool nature study. Wow! This book is a treasure!! We absolutely loved the up-close look at these tiny creatures. I was as fascinated as he was. The book is not written for young children but we were both able to enjoy it. He loved looking at the photos while I read over the information and summarized it for him in a way he'd understand.

This is some of the best photography I've ever seen in a nature book. Even if one isn't interested in minibeasts, any photography or art fan will appreciate this book. It would even make a nice coffee table book!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book so I could share my honest opinion with you.

I'm not a huge lover of creepy crawlies, but I found this book to be really enjoyable and packed full of information.

What fascinated me and what I think really makes this book so great is the amazing photography. The magnified images of these small creatures was outstanding! My favorite section of this book was that chapter about insect faces, and some of those photos made me laugh because of how funny these little guys look when you're actually able to zoom in up close.

There were some insects in this book that made my skin crawl. The photo at the beginning of the book of the spider molting out of its old exoskeleton is something out of my nightmares haha.

This is amazing! It's a very well done book about insects and various aspects of their lives. I'm a biology student so I'm always interested in these kind of books.

The pictures are so beautiful, really vibrant and make the insects look great. They're actually not creepy in this book, I promise! You can see the photographer really loved making these pictures.

The text is great as well. Not too hard, not too much official terms, just right. The chapter titles gave me the laughs as well. I learned a lot from this book and especially my respect for insects has grown! My favourite chapters were the one where the author shows the bugs that are very good at camouflaging themselves and the chapter where he shows the faces of bugs. If you're into biology and insects or just stunning photography, check this book out.

Great book! Lots on info on various wee beasties kids enjoy. I think it would make a great addition to a collection, or a great gift for a budding entomologists. Even teens and adults who are interested in these creatures might enjoy the read. I can't wait to see the book, myself, as my Kindle doesn't .have color capacity and I really want to see the photos!

Wow. So beautiful, yet gross and creapy at the same time.
While I am not scared of bugs, insects or creepy crawlies i do find they can give me the willies at times.
This book blew me away with its photography, the photos are absolutely amazing and fascinating. The details , colours and textures it shows are fantastic.
I don't think it's possible to look at any of these bugs the same after reading this book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

After looking at all the pictures and reading abut many of the animals, all I am left with is WOW! What a great book for all ages. I love it as an adult and would have devoured it as a child, and even my son sat down and read it with me (and if you have a teenager, who know how shockingly rare that can be). Every page is filled with close-up photographs of animals. My favorite section was "Face to Face" as one normally does not get that close to a spider's face to see how darn cute many of them are. One aspect of the book that stood out to me, and loved, was the inclusion of the size of the magnification on each photograph. Some of the animals included in the book scare people, but when approaching it with kids, they can see the face up close and put it into perspective that maybe that tiny spider isn't so scary after all.

This book is a must have for any situation. Thank you NetGalley and Exisle Publishing for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy. This is one that will be sitting on my shelves soon.

Minibeasts: True rulers of our world and the key to our survival by Alan Henderson is a fascinating book I requested from NetGalley and the review is voluntary. What an amazing book of close up photography! The creepy crawlers and flyers are tremendous so close.
The author first opened with how he got started with nature then photography. I too have always loved nature and have looked at lots of nature books with my four boys and now with grandsons. It is different looking at them normal size and like they are in this book! They look like something from another planet! You miss so much...I for one am not getting that close to any of those creatures except the butterfly and even them I wouldn't be able to see what he could photographed!
The dragon's eye with raindrops on it...amazing! The butterfly's wing showed little scales! All the photos are so clear and breathtaking. I thought I could use many for models for monster art! Lol!
I was getting creeped out after a bit, the spiders all seemed so big, so scary, even some of the caterpillars! Then near the end it got worse...The babies! Lots of close up baby scorpions, spiders, and more! Fascinating and horrifying at the same time! I loved it!!!
Where else can you see this close up?
Each picture also had brief information about that creature.

Minibeasts is a fascinating study on the commonly overlooked (or feared) parts of our world. I’m talking of course, about insects, arachnids, and all the other little critters out there. The photographs alone make this book worth checking out. What makes it even better though has to be the intense amount of information provided.
There are thirteen chapters in total in this book. It starts off with an introduction of course, but then it covers so much more beyond that. Some of the chapters are whimsically titled, and thus not immediately clear on their focus. Others are immediately obvious. Both are full of details, data, and photographs.
I’ll be honest with you: Sometimes the pictures alone were enough to make my skin crawl. While I do not suffer from Entomophobia, I do have a healthy fear of millipedes (and an associated fear of centipedes). That made those parts a bit more difficult for me…but I’m glad I made the effort to read those parts anyway. And I have to begrudgingly admit that one of their photos was probably the most striking image in the entire book. So please take that for the praise it should be.

I saw this book available on NetGalley and I requested it as reference option for some of my art and because I find insects and the eco system they live in beautiful and fascinating and wanted to learn more about them.
The macro photography and colors are absolutely stunning and the book isn't overloaded with academic text, which I prefer.
More like bite sized interesting facts about each of the insects.
The book has 13 chapters exploring insect behavior, living space, hunting techniques, mating rituals and more. Definitely a great addition on any coffee table or as a present for an artist or insect lover.

Thank you Nathan from Exisle Publishing and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC.