The Beetle Book

by Steve Jenkins, Steve Jenkins (Illustrator)

Overview

Beetles squeak and beetles glow. Beetles stink, beetles sprint, beetles walk on water. With legs, antennae, horns, beautiful shells, knobs, and other oddities—what’s not to like about beetles? The beetle world is vast: one out of every four living things on earth is a beetle. There are over 350,000 different species named so far and scientists suspect there may be as many as a million. From the goliath beetle that weighs one fourth of a pound to the nine inch long titan beetle, award-winning author-illustrator Steve Jenkins presents a fascinating array of these intriguing insects and the many amazing adaptations they have made to survive.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780547680842
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	04/03/2012
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	10.20(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD980L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 11 Years

About the Author

Steve Jenkins wrote and illustrated many nonfiction picture books for young readers, including the Caldecott Honor Book What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? His books have been called stunning, eye-popping, inventive, gorgeous, masterful, extraordinary, playful, irresistible, compelling, engaging, accessible, glorious, and informative.

Steve Jenkins wrote and illustrated many nonfiction picture books for young readers, including the Caldecott Honor Book What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? His books have been called stunning, eye-popping, inventive, gorgeous, masterful, extraordinary, playful, irresistible, compelling, engaging, accessible, glorious, and informative.

Editorial Reviews

"Jenkins' splendid array of beetles will surely produce at least one budding coleopterist...distinguished both as natural history and work of art"—Kirkus, starred review "Jenkins brings his signature style to the world of beetles...As always, the design of the book is exemplary."—Horn Book "A richly varied and visually riveting introduction to beetles, both familiar and strange."—Booklist, starred review "Jenkins's enthusiasm for his subject shines through in this rich and varied compendium."—School Library Journal, starred review "Jenkins offers a wealth of information about beetles and presents it impeccably."—Publishers Weekly, starred review "The combination of sophisticated look and highly visual approach makes this accessible to a wide audience, and this is one that'll certainly be picked up immediately if left strategically on a library table."—Bulletin —

From the Publisher

Jenkins' splendid array of beetles will surely produce at least one budding coleopterist. The colors and patterns of this ubiquitous insect (one out of four creatures on the planet is a beetle, Jenkins tells readers) are fascinating, as are the details about the various adaptations that beetles have made over millennia in response to their environment, diet, and predators. "Perhaps the innovation that has been most helpful to the beetle is its pair of rigid outer wings." Beautiful book design and a small but clear freehand-style type contribute to readers' appreciation of the elegant structure and variety of these creatures. Deep, bright hues in the torn-and–cut-paper–collage illustrations set each beetle with its own singular pattern and colors against generous white space. Actual-size silhouettes allow the detailed, larger illustrations to be matched with a realistic appraisal of each beetle's dimensions. A list of the several dozen featured beetles along with their Latin names and their principal geographic locations appears on a two-page opening at the back. Only a couple of quibbles: The author's claim that without the dung beetle "the world's grasslands would soon be buried in animal droppings" begs for a little further explanation; and the absence of a bibliography seems like an oversight. Otherwise, distinguished both as natural history and work of art. (Nonfiction. 7-12)

Kirkus Reviews