Category: Animals

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Nic Bishop Butterflies And Moths

In most areas it is probably too cold for butterflies and moths to be active, but here in Arizona you can still see quite a few. You can spot monarchs on their long migrations to Mexico or California, as well as queens, painted ladies and fritillaries. What a perfect time to pick up Nic Bishop Butterflies and Moths.

butterflies-and-moths

The insects are the star in Nic Bishop’s book and when you open it, the photographs bring those insects right to your fingertips. Shot from unusual angles and incredibly close up, you can see adult butterflies, moths and caterpillars in detail that speaks volumes. This book would be a conversation piece even if it didn’t have a single word, but Bishop manages to create a lively and informative text as well.

In addition to nailing the text, Bishop gives proper emphasis to the immature stages, with 14 pages devoted to caterpillars and pupae. The double gatefold of a butterfly in flight is sure to induce some gasps of astonishment. Amateur photographers are going to immediately ask, “How did he do that?” In the real treasure of the book, Nic Bishop writes in the end how he captured some of the wonderful photographs. It is in this section his passion and incredible hard work reveals itself. For one shot, he jumped on a plane for a flight to Costa Rica to photograph one rare caterpillar!

Actually, knowing how much he put into the photograph of the caterpillar that mimics a snake I can not criticize at all, but I really wish he had included a small photo of what the caterpillar looks like normally. I bet children would have been even more amazed at the transformation from mild-mannered caterpillar to ferocious snake.

Nic Bishop has made a well-deserved name for himself as a photographer and author of children’s books. His previous books have won numerous honors, and this book is clearly of the highest caliber. It has been nominated for the Cybils award in the category of nonfiction picture book.

Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 48 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Nonfiction (March 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0439877571
ISBN-13: 978-0439877572

Nic Bishop Butterflies And Moths by Nic Bishop

nonfictionmonday

Nonfiction Monday is a blogging celebration of nonfiction books for kids. For more information, stop by Picture Book of the Day. This week’s post is at bookstogether.

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Praying Mantises

praying mantisesPraying Mantises: Hungry Insect Heroes (Insect World) by Sandra Markle

Finally, a book about praying mantises that doesn’t perpetuate the myth that female praying mantises always eat their mates. Sandra Markle writes in Praying Mantises: Hungry Insect Heroes, “Scientists report that mantises rarely do this in the wild.” It turns out that the myth was started when people kept praying mantises indoors to observe them. Female mantises require a lot of food to produce eggs and the people who fed them rarely supplied enough. The ravenous females ate anything presented to them at that point. When kept outside, the praying mantis often has enough to eat and her mate doesn’t become lunch.

Sandra Markle starts with a detailed look at the outside and the inside of a praying mantis. This is helpful for someone who has never looked closely at a praying mantis. Throughout the book are fabulous photographs and quick “mantis facts” that help capture a reader’s attention as he or she skims through. At the end, between “Digging Deeper” and the index, there are two activities. The first, strike time, relates to how extremely fast a praying mantis can grab its prey. The activity is easy to do and doesn’t require a mantis. The second is to observe a mantis up close in a jar for a day or two and then let it go. Just remember from above, it is hard to keep a praying mantis well fed.

We have had a praying mantis on the same plant for weeks now. Every morning we check to see that it is still there, and we’ve developed a fond feeling towards it. After reading this book we can now take our observations to another level.

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Library Binding: 48 pages
Publisher: Lerner Publications (December 15, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0822573008
ISBN-13: 978-0822573005

If you’d like to see a photograph of our mantis, check my Growing With Science blog praying mantis post.

nonfictionmonday

Nonfiction Monday is a blogging celebration of nonfiction books for kids. For more information, stop by Picture Book of the Day. This week’s post is at Wild About Nature.

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Bouncing Baby Spiders

Babies are always cute, but some people might have trouble with using the words cute and spider in the same sneakyspinning-baby-spiderssentence. Those readers may change their minds after picking up Sneaky, Spinning Baby Spiders by Sandra Markle. In this book Markle has combined spectacular photographs of baby and adult spiders with carefully crafted text. For example, the photograph on page five of a jumping spider flying through the air as it pounces is amazing.

The accompanying text is exactly the right balance of factual and lively to make it informative and fun to read. It must have been difficult not to slip into anthropomorphism when the subject is babies, but the author kept just the right tone. Markle writes “mother spider,” but not “mom.” She also uses feminine pronouns instead of the neutral “it.” Those touches draw the young reader in.

Although the author has done a great job with the text, I did find one inaccuracy. Whenever an author is not an expert on a topic and has to rely on others for photographs, a chance for errors creeps in. In this case, the spider identified on page 24 as a “slender sac spider,” genus Chiracanthium, is actually a giant crab spider, genus Olios. One the plus side, the photographs also represent spiders from throughout the world, instead of from only one area or continent as so often is the case.

At the end of the book, the map of where the spiders are found is a nice touch. I also like Markle’s paragraph about how she was inspired to write this book by finding a spider’s web intact after a severe storm. It is a warm, personal note that sets the tone for the entire book.

All in all, Sneaky, Spinning Baby Spider is a wonderful addition to any library.

Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers (October 28, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0802796974
ISBN-13: 978-0802796974

For a related activity, visit Spider Webs at Growing With Science blog. Edit: Check More About Baby Spiders for a list of children’s picture books about spiders.

nonfictionmonday

Nonfiction Monday is a blogging celebration of nonfiction books for kids. For more information, stop by Picture Book of the Day. This week’s post is at Simply Science.

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Pet Science Book Review

Pet Science: 50 Purr-fectly Woof-Worthy Activities for You & Your Pets by Veronika Gunter and Rain Newcomb, Illustrated by Tom LaBaff

What do you think of when you hear the term “animal science?” Do you think of wild animals, like tigers or bears bounding through the brush? Wildlife biologists and ethologists do study wild animals in the natural habitats. Many of us, however, have animals right in our homes that can be studied as well and we tend to overlook them. Authors Veronika Gunter and Rain Newcomb have come up with 50 science-related activities to answer questions about our pets that don’t involve going on a safari or visiting an exotic locale.

This book covers all sorts of pets, not just dogs and cats. Birds, rabbits, rodents, and even snakes and hermit crabs are all included. The authors also bring up and answer some compelling questions, such as why do cats lie on magazines, newspapers or books and do they have a preference? Why do dogs circle around before they lie down? Why do cats like to get into paper bags (or in our case, the cloth bags we use instead of paper bags)? Each question is followed by a list of materials to gather to perform the experiment and then instructions on how to perform it. Once the experiment is finished, the authors then answer the question in depth.

Gunther and Newcomb might have separated the answers to the experimental questions into another section, for a couple of reasons. First, I have found that if the answer is readily available, the child is less likely to perform the activity. Second, if the child sees the expected answer, then they try to match it, regardless of their actual results. Finally, when people find out an answer for themselves, then they tend to remember it longer. That is not to say that the authors shouldn’t have given the answers, because the answers are highly informative.

I think the authors have done a good job in choosing activities that will engage children, but will also be safe and enjoyable for their pets. Many of the activities have potential to be developed further into science fair projects. I don’t usually pay much attention to the glossary, but theirs is extensive, obviously the product of their collaboration with a veterinarian. It covers from pages 76-80. Did you know that the chemical that is attractive to cats in catnip is nepetalactone? That is an example of the type of information that can be found in the glossary.

Overall, I would way this book would appeal to children who are interested in their pets, in science and/or who enjoy hands-on learning activities. Children who have expressed an interest in becoming a veterinarian might also find it useful. The book even suggests that if the child doesn’t have a pet, he or she can still do the activities with a friend’s pet, with the class pet or by observing animals at the zoo. With all those options, a lot of fun and learning are sure to ensue.

nonfictionmonday

Nonfiction Monday is a blogging celebration of nonfiction books for kids. For more information, stop by Picture Book of the Day. This week the celebration is at Tales From the Rushmore Kid.