Fun story! Sure to be a hit with anyone who is a praying mantis fan!. I love these critters. Back in my semi-rural childhood, I can remember children bring the "nests" to class in large jars. We'd eagerly await their hatching. Then when it finally happened, without fail, someone would remove the lid and there would be baby praying mantises all over the room! Us kids loved the little things and we'd gather them up and set them free. I still enjoy finding them in my lavender! Told from the mantis pov, this story is a hoot. Lots of terrific info about them. Photos and illustrations were wonderful and added to the enjoyment of the read. Good story!

This is a humorous tale about the life of a praying mantis, told from his point of view. I loved the photographs and the facts throuhgout the story. The story itself is fictional, but is based on the life of a praying mantis and has facts scattered throughout. I felt all the teachers at my school would enjoy reading this story aloud, no matter the content they teach, while entertaining the students.

Santiago: True Tales of a Little Bug in a Big World by Jennifer Vitanzo is currently scheduled for release today, June 5 2019. This is the true story of a wild praying mantis named Santiago and his many unusual adventures across South Africa with his adoptive family—two adult humans, three stuffed animals, a rotating cast of mantis‑sitters, and (for a short time, at least) a pigeon. All told from the mantis’s perspective, of course. His life of a newly hatched praying mantis takes an unexpected turn when he hitches a ride on a flower and ends up in a human’s kitchen. Now faced with surviving in an unknown land, he must learn to navigate the challenges of vacuums, dust bunnies, stovetops, and, most confusing of all, human beings. How will he survive in such an alien world?

Santiago: True Tales of a Little Bug in a Big World is the story of one little bug living in a human world, and discovering things about life in a house with humans, as well as how his own body grows. I loved how facts about mantises and other creatures are shared right along with information about Santiago's adopted family and his particular adventures. The illustrations, informational text boxes, and photographs were a great addition to the book, and I really enjoyed them. There was plenty of humor right along with the information, and I found the unique perspective to be very entertaining to read and I think it will make many readers stop to think about some of the absurdity of human life, and how special some of the smallest lives can be. The tone of the book and the topics kept me engaged and reading long after I should have gotten up to do other things, but it was so worth it. I am adding this to my daughter's summer birthday gift and I think she will love it just as much as I did, if not more.

Santiago: True Tales of a Little Bug in a Big World is a clever and delightful read. I highly recommend it for children and adults alike.

Santiago: True Tales of a Little Bug in a Big World is an anthropomorphized tale of a praying mantis called Santiago who hitched a ride into his humans' house on a hydrangea bush and it's told from the point of view of the little mantis.

Released 5th June 2019 by author Jennifer Vitanzo, it's 187 pages and available in paperback format.

This is an engaging tale about the trials and everyday dangers insects face in and around human dwellings. The book is sprinkled with lots of photographs of Santiago the mantis (and other animals, stuffed and real) which lived with the author. It's a well written and humorous narrative. It should be noted that it does follow the life cycle of mantids and includes the death of the main character and some other non-human characters.

This would make a nice summer vacation read for youngsters or a read-to-me selection for younger children. It would also be a nice library selection or gift for a young person interested in entomology.

Four stars. I wasn't completely ok with the anthropomorphism, but since it's aimed (mostly) at kids, i'll keep my grumbles to myself. I do appreciate that the author specifically advises against keeping exotic/wild animals as pets.

4.5

Thank you NetGalley, Jennifer Vitanzo, and Late Shift Media, LLC. for the opportunity to read Santiago: TRUE TALES of a LITTLE BUG in a BIG WORLD in exchange for an honest review.

One of the things I greatly appreciate about this book is the photographs of the praying mantis telling the story: Santiago. I want to say this book is both fiction and nonfiction. The way the book is portrayed from the praying mantis's perspective is a fictional display (I mean, praying mantis's cannot actually speak) but the story is based off of real events that the author and her partner experienced with this particular insect. I actually wanted to know more about the author and her photography and was directed by the publisher to SantiagoBugbook.com where a number of photos and information are available!
Here's a photo of Santiago about to have some dessert. Photo from BuzzFromTheBush Vitanzo's other photojournal site (check it out for more pictures of Santiago and other photojournal experiences!)

Santiago is the book for me. Why? Praying Mantis's are my absolute favorite insect! This book is fun with all the photos taken by Vitanzo as well as the fun facts about mantids. It's an educational book told with a fictional approach, not to mention an extremely creative idea (I mean, how many books do you know with a praying mantis telling the story from his perspective?) The reader learns about a mantis's classification, sex, diet, predators, and environment, as well as the different types that are out in the world.

Overall, a very cute book for all ages! This can be a great classroom book or summer read for anyone, but especially those curious about the insect world or mantis lovers! I learned so much about mantids, including some delicacies I can feed a mantis that aren't other insects, life spans, and instinctual tendencies. I loved how Santiago really became a member of the family and I definitely cried when I finished this book!!

My favorite mantis story: One day I was at Disneyland with my boyfriend waiting in line for Big Thunder Mountain. This kid behind me says "Hey, miss? You have a bug on your back." Of course my brain goes auto-spider and I flip out (even though a spider isn't a bug/insect). When the poor victim of a praying mantis falls to the ground, I immediately scoop it up an apologize (not that it understands). Anyway, I took the praying mantis onto the ride with me and we had a blast! It was then released to a more secluded area with a tree that had very few people around it.

**A note to the publisher and Jennifer Vitanzo: If you would like me to remove photos or links, please contact me and let me know!!

Vitanzo's story of Santiago is about a praying mantis's life as told through his own voice. This is a hilarious and touching tale of the animal's life cycle. Snippets of information are dotted throughout the book as are photographs that will help entertain younger readers, but older readers will find Santiago both entertaining (especially discussing farts) and educational without it being too "school".

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy.

A charming book about praying mantises told from the perspective of a praying mantis. Cute photos included!!