Ever had an in-your-face encounter with a caterpillar? Darlyne Murawski came eye-to-eye with a spiny caterpillar in Costa Rica--and was stung by the harmless- looking creepy-crawly. That's one of many caterpillar close-ups in this amazing book. Readers study these insects like the experts: witness the astonishing metamorphosis from caterpillar to pupa to butterfly; see the snake-like defenses of some poisonous species; and the silk stitching of other caterpillars' leafy hideaways.