Beetle Mania
June 02, 2006
Maybe school isn't out yet, but the bugs have arrived. We know it's summer then. Our yard incubates all kinds of critters, and yesterday Junior discovered some "baby grasshoppers" in the garden. I found a cantaloupe that I could have sworn I had composted elsewhere. No telling what else is in there.
Anyway, one of the best bug guides that we've come across in a while is Beetle, by Rebecca Stefoff, which contains color photographs of beetles around the world, nice-sized type, and text just right for 4-8 year olds. I really admire this book's clarity. The author covers life stages, familiar beetles (ladybugs), and an array of beetles with weird features; plus, she includes a glossary and bibliography. The cover is a real beauty, too: some kind of shiny green beetle on a pink flower.
Part of Benchmark Books' "Living Things" series," Beetle appears to be out of print, but try the public library and use the inter-library loan system if you need to. School libraries are likely to carry it, but many have already closed for the season.
Comments
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.