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Category: insects (Page 31 of 88)

Bug of the Week: Another Children’s Book About Bugs

December 2, 2015 / / 0 Comments

Remember the dung beetles from Bug of Week a few weeks ago? As luck would have it, another children’s book featuring dung beetles just came across my desk (nominated for the 2015 Cybils award in the Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction category.)

Would You Rather…Dine with a Dung Beetle or Lunch with a Maggot?: Pick your answer and learn about bugs!by Camilla de la Bedoyere and illustrated by Mel Howells is a cute picture book that uses a question-and-answer format with a twist.

The text consists of two-page spreads that ask a number of related questions about bugs and their relatives, like the “would you rather dine with a dung beetle or lunch with a maggot?” on the cover. Turning the page, the reader finds answers to the questions, plus many cool facts.

The cartoon illustrations add to the fun. Many show a child interacting with the insect or other creatures, which draws the reader in.

Parents be aware:  This book crosses into the “ewww, gross” territory that is so popular with children of a certain age (and sometimes so unpopular with their parents).

Would You Rather…Dine with a Dung Beetle or Lunch with a Maggot? is both entertaining and educational. Pick up a copy and have some fun with it today!

Age Range: 3 – 5 years
Publisher: QEB Publishing (August 3, 2015)
ISBN-10: 1609928148
ISBN-13: 978-1609928148

 

Disclosure:  The book was provided by the publisher for review purposes. I am an affiliate with Amazon so I can provide you with cover images and links to more information about books and products. As you probably are aware, if you click through the highlighted title or image link and purchase a product, I will receive a very small commission, at no extra cost to you. Any proceeds help defray the costs of hosting and maintaining this website.

Children’s Biography of Fabre: Small Wonders

November 20, 2015 / / 0 Comments

For STEM Friday, we have a picture book biography, Small Wonders: Jean-Henri Fabre and His World of Insects by Matthew Clark Smith and illustrated by Giuliano Ferri, which delves deeply into the life of one of the first naturalists who explored the insect world with a scientific eye, and who at the same time wrote with the goal of sharing his insights not only with colleagues, but also with essays written for regular people (see a literary review at our sister blog, Wrapped in Foil).

Fabre’s method of studying live insects, particularly in their natural habitats, allowed him to make many new discoveries. His insights included finding out that female great peacock moths produce a scent (pheromone) to attract male moths.

Saturnia (Saturnia) pyri ([Denis & SchiffermŸller], 1775). The Great Peacock Moth. Wood engraving dated 1852. Original hand coloring.Page size: 26 x 20.2 cm ( 10.2 x 7.9 "). Saturnia pyri, the Giant Peacock Moth, is a Saturniid moth which is native to Europe. It is the largest European Moth and is also called as the Giant Emperor Moth or the Viennese Emperor.

Saturnia (Saturnia) pyri ([Denis & SchiffermŸller], 1775). The Great Peacock Moth. Wood engraving dated 1852. Original hand coloring.Page size: 26 x 20.2 cm ( 10.2 x 7.9 “). Saturnia pyri, the Giant Peacock Moth, is a Saturniid moth which is native to Europe. It is the largest European Moth and is also called as the Giant Emperor Moth or the Viennese Emperor. Public Domain image from Wikimedia.

Jean Henri Fabre also studied the behavior of processionary caterpillars, dung beetles , cicadas, praying mantids, bees and wasps, and many other creatures.

Although this book is a biography of a scientist, budding entomologists are likely to find the details of the “Small Wonders” he studied intriguing as well.

Age Range: 6 – 9 years
Publisher: Two Lions (May 12, 2015)
ISBN-10: 1477826327
ISBN-13: 978-1477826324

To accompany Small Wonders, you might want to try this collection of Fabre’s actual works retold by Mrs. Rodolph Stawell from a translation by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos. It is for older children or adults, but parts could be read to younger children.

Fabre’s Book of Insects by Jean Henri Fabre

Frankly, the text is somewhat convoluted and flowery in an old-fashioned way, but due to the fact that his close examination of the behavior of insects was so innovative, it has stood the test of time. He also makes many references to mythology and folklore.

Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: Dover Publications (February 6, 1998)
ISBN-10: 0486401529
ISBN-13: 978-0486401522

Finally, if you want to see the insects that Fabre writes about, you might want to try the movie Microcosmos with Kristin Scott Thomas (Actor), Jacques Perrin (Actor, Producer), Claude Nuridsany (Director, Writer), Marie Pérennou (Director, Writer). Although the cover below of the mantis with sunglasses might give you the impression it is a cartoon, but nothing could be further from the truth. This is serious nature cinematography at its finest!

microcosmos

Another reason it is appropriate is because it is set in France, where Fabre lived, and features some of the insects he studied, like the processionary caterpillar.

Check out the French version of the movie trailer (it is also available in English):

Sorry, in a bit of a rush today. Please leave any questions you might have in the comments.

Disclosure: Small Wonders was provided by the publisher for review. The other book and movie are my personal copies.  Also, I am an affiliate with Amazon so I can provide you with cover images and links to more information about books and products. As you probably are aware, if you click through the highlighted title link and purchase a product, I will receive a very small commission, at no extra cost to you. Any proceeds help defray the costs of hosting and maintaining this website.

Come visit the STEM Friday blog each week to find more great Science, Technology, Engineering and Math books.

The Scoop on a New Children’s Book about House Flies

November 11, 2015 / / 2 Comments

Usually we feature photographs of the Bug of the Week on Wednesdays, but this week for a change of pace we have a new children’s picture book about house flies. It is a nominee for a 2015 Cybils award in the Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction category.

The premise of I, Fly: The Buzz About Flies and How Awesome They Are by Bridget Heos and illustrated by Jennifer Plecas is that house flies deserve to be studied even though they aren’t as attractive or iconic as butterflies.

At first glance this book does not look like typical nonfiction. The illustrations are cartoons, complete with speech bubbles. The narrator is a stylized fly “speaking” in first person about his mom, brothers and sisters, as well as doing a bit of “trash-talking” about butterflies. Even the yucky/gross aspects are covered with a humorous touch.

Don’t let the fun facade fool you, however. The text is full of carefully organized and well-researched facts about house flies. Readers will learn that house flies go through complete metamorphosis like butterflies, but that their larvae and pupae look very different. Heos slips in facts about house fly flight, anatomy, other flies that are relatives (mosquito, blow fly and fruit fly), and even some problems with flies (they carry disease-causing bacteria). Is it true that house flies throw up on our food? Yes, but only solids and it is more like spitting up.

I, Fly will be highly appealing to children (of that certain age) who are enthralled with all things gross and disgusting. The lighthearted approach will make it palatable to parents, teachers and librarians, as well.

Age Range: 4 – 8 years
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); First Edition edition (March 10, 2015)
ISBN-10: 0805094695
ISBN-13: 978-0805094695

HouseFly2_(PSF)(Image of house fly in Public domain from Wikimedia)

This book would pair well with the fictional picture book Diary of a Fly by Doreen Cronin and illustrated by Harry Bliss. In fact, the pair could be used to compare nonfiction and fiction.

Age Range: 4 – 8 years
Publisher: HarperCollins (January 8, 2013)
ISBN-10: 0062232983
ISBN-13: 978-0062232984

For more, see our insect-related lists of children’s books at Science Books for Kids, including:

Disclosure: The books were provided by my local library. Also, I am an affiliate with Amazon so I can provide you with cover images and links to more information about books and products. As you probably are aware, if you click through the highlighted title link and purchase a product, I will receive a very small commission, at no extra cost to you. Any proceeds help defray the costs of hosting and maintaining this website.

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