Fact Friday: Strange Nature: the Insect Portraits of Levon Bliss by Gary Mone

Image: Abrams Books

Strange Nature: the Insect Portraits of Levon Bliss by Gary Mone. Illustrated by Levon Bliss. 40 p. Abrams Books for Young Readers/ Abrams Books, March, 2021. 9781419731662. (Review of finished copy borrowed from public library.)

Fact Friday features Strange Nature: the Insect Portraits of Levon Bliss by Gary Mone. Calling all entomologists! Mr. Mone has adapted Mr. Bliss' book for adults entitled, Microsculpture, for young people and it is not to be missed. One page features a stunning photo of an insect and the opposite page contains information, like the size, location and other fascinating facts presented in a conversational, sometimes humorous way. This is definitely a book to meander through, stopping to pore over the photos, which not only feature the full insect, but extreme close-ups of various body parts.  

Back matter includes a glossary and an invitation to learn more about the world of microsculpture by visiting microsculpture.net. I had a hard time wrapping my head around how Mr. Bliss created these phenomenal photos and visited the site. It was very helpful to view the short movie. 

Fact Friday: You're Invited to a Moth Ball: a nighttime insect celebration by Loree Griffin Burns

Image: Charlesbridge

You're Invited to a Moth Ball: a nighttime insect celebration by Loree Griffin Burns. Photographed by Ellen Harasimowicz.  unpgd. Charlesbridge, April, 2020. 9781580896863. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

Fact Friday features You're Invited to a Moth Ball: a nighttime insect celebration by Loree Griffin Burns. Who doesn't love receiving an invitation? This STEM title, while perfect anytime, is particularly apt during this time of quarantine. Most of the ingredients should be available in suburban and rural homes. 

Conversational text and spectacular photos walk the reader through all the preparations necessary for hosting a successful moth ball. It isn't only light that attracts moths. Some are less attracted to light but prefer nectar. Who knew? The photos portray six children working together to read and research, mixing bait, setting up their nighttime lab and enjoying the many moths their efforts attracted. 

Informative back matter includes more facts about moths, supplies, an author's note and most fascinating, a photographer's note, where readers learn how Ms. Harasimowicz took the amazing photos at night. A glossary and books and websites for further reading conclude the volume. 

This attractive volume belongs in all kinds of libraries and will inspire young citizen scientists. 

Picture Book Review: Bugs Don't Hug:

Image: Charlesbridge

Bugs Don't Hug: six-legged parents and their kids by Heather L. Montgomery. Illustrated by Stephen Stone. unpgd. Charlesbridge, September, 2018. 9781580898164. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

When I think of animal parenting, my first thoughts are not of bugs. If I do contemplate insect parenting, I assume that baby insects are on their own a la Charlotte's egg sac. Females provide the environment and either die or leave. Not so, as Heather L. Montgomery's droll book instructs.

She takes a familiar human parenting activity, such as scrambling eggs or changing dirty diapers, only Stephen Stone's cartoon illustrations humorously depict a variety of anthropomorphized insects doing the activity. The page-turn reveals how the "real" insect performs a similar function in real life. Though cartoons, these are surprisingly nuanced. 

The final spread features an inter-racial couple tucking their apparently insect-obsessed "love bug" into bed. All the featured insects are piled into the child's toy box.

Back matter includes thumbnails of each insect, including it's common and scientific names along with more information. This is followed by four book recommendations for readers interested in more information and an author's note explaining her choices about language in her storytelling as well as an invitation to parents to encourage fascination over the world of insects.

What a lovely, playful introduction to all things buggy. Bugs Don't  Hug would make for a fun read aloud. A great addition to home, school, public or classroom libraries. 

Non-Fiction Monday: A Beetle is Shy by Diana Hutts Aston

A Beetle is Shy by Diana Hutts Aston. Illustrated by Sylvia Long. 40 p. Chronicle Books LLC, April, 2016. 9781452127125. (Review from finished copy borrowed from public library.)

Another stunner from the collaborative team that brought us other gems such as, A Seed is Sleepy; An Egg is Quiet; A Rock is Lively; A Nest is Noisy. Readers of any of these books are introduced to nature with spare and lyrical text accompanied by lovely intricate watercolor illustrations. 

This one focuses on the world of beetles in all their impressive variety. From the very large to the very small, beetles are a diverse group that come in a rainbow of colors and a variety of shapes. There is even one that swims! 

This is perfect for sharing - a sure cure for Nature Deficit Disorder and perfectly at home in an LA, art or science class. Surely a must-purchase for school and public libraries. I'm adding it to my collection. 

Non-Fiction Monday: Small Wonders: Jean-Henri Fabre & his world of insects by Matthew Clark Smith

Small Wonders: Jean-Henri Fabre & his world of insects by Matthew Clark Smith. Illustrated by Giuliano Ferri. unpgd. Two Lions/ Amazon Children's Publishing, May, 2015. 978147782624. (Borrowed from the public library)

The lovely cover was the first thing to catch my eye as I scanned the shelf of "new books" at my local public library. The next thing was the fact that it was about an entomologist. While I'm always on the lookout for quality biographies of scientists, I will admit that I thought of the young son of a colleague who is crazy about bugs. I'm not crazy about bugs but I am fascinated by them. I had never heard of Jean-Henri Fabre so I added the book to my stack.

The biography starts with Fabre as an eccentric old man living in a village in southern France. The inhabitants knew very little about him but gossiped about him, debating about whether he was a madman or a sorcerer. They were shocked and amazed when the President of France visited him. Turns out Jean-Henri Fabre had just won a Noble Prize in Literature. He was one of very few scientists to win the prize in literature for his life's work studying insects.

The story then rewinds to the early 1800s and relates how Fabre's youth on a mountainside in rural France shaped his love of nature and insects in particular. Once he started school, he would secrete all sorts of flora and fauna into his desk to study instead of his Latin. His teachers did not appreciate his lack of interest in academics. Eventually, he became a teacher. He married and had children, many of whom died. But he continued to study nature. 

He came down with pneumonia so severe he thought he would die. He made a last request of his son to retrieve some bees from their winter nest. When they stirred from their hibernation due to the warmth of the room, Jean-Henri found a reason to live. He recovered and began writing. And writing and writing. He felt that if his writing awakened an awe of nature in just one person, he had done his job. In his 90th year, he learned that his work earned him a Nobel Prize and a visit from the President of France. He died several years later.

The narrative is engaging and evocative as are the soft watercolor illustrations. They are colorful and energetic. Each contain tons of larger-than-life insects. The end-pages are gorgeous as well. While certainly recommended for elementary school libraries, this picture book biography should find a home in the middle school library thanks to an in-depth historical note; detailed timeline; author's note and sources. This unique and affectionate treatment of a scientist mostly unknown outside of his field should awaken a sense of wonder in young readers. It did for this old one.

Non-fiction Monday: Behold the Beautiful Dung Beetle by Cheryl Bardoe

Behold the Beautiful Dung Beetle by Cheryl Bardoe. Illustrated by Alan Marks. unpgd. Charlesbridge, March, 2014. 9781580895545. (Finished copy courtesy of publisher for review.)

I'm sure that you're thinking, "Ew! Why should I behold the dung beetle and why is it portrayed in an insect version of Rocky's triumphant pose on the top of the stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art?" Apparently, the ancient Egyptians were impressed and immortalized them in jewelry and art. It reminded them of the rising sun and was a symbol of renewal. Scarabs are dung beetles. Who knew?

Readers learn that and so much more about the life cycle of the three types of dung beetle, dwellers, rollers, and tunnelers, in two levels of text. Easier text in larger font appears on the left and more detailed text with harder language and smaller font appears on the right hand pages (mostly). All this info floats on glorious single and double-page spreads featuring nature's industrious janitors doing what they do best with freshly dropped pats of poop. 

Dwellers chow down immediately. Rollers shapes a hunk of poo into balls much larger than themselves, grab themselves a mate and roll off into the sunset. Eventually, they will bury the dung and the female will insert eggs inside. Tunnelers burrow and store the dung inside for their eggs. Dwellers lay their eggs in whatever dung is left.

The watercolor paintings vividly portray the three types of beetles at various stages, including cross-sections of the larval stages and underground scenes. The backgrounds are lovely and a bit impressionistic but the beetles themselves are marvelously detailed. I hope they were portrayed larger than life. There was nothing in the way to show scale except for one bit of text which states, "The largest rollers, which are about the size of tennis balls can roll dung balls up to fifty times heavier than themselves." Yikes.

A page at the end contains helpful advice for finding one's own dung beetles (including a reminder to wash hands) and four fascinating facts. A final page contains a glossary and three books for further reading. Both author and illustrator have web sites.

                    

Non-Fiction Monday: The Secret Life of the Woolly Bear Caterpillar by Laurence Pringle

The Secret Life of the Woolly Bear Caterpillar by Laurence Pringle. Illustrated by Joan Paley. unpged. Boyds Mills Press, April 1, 2014. 9781620910009. (Finished copy courtesy of publisher for review.)

The author discusses the life of a banded woolly bear caterpillar named Bella in this narrative non-fiction picture book for younger readers. Using words like undulate and accurate scientific taxonomy that is explained in text as well as in a glossary, the author describes Bella's journey, which is fraught with danger from predators and cars in her search for food to eat and, eventually, the perfect place to spend the winter. 

The colorful, mixed-media collages depict the changing seasons and the variety of other animals she might encounter. Further information about the woolly bear caterpillar, including the myth about its ability to predict the severity of the coming winter is included at the end.