Strange Nature: The Insect Portraits of Levon Biss

by Gregory Mone, Levon Biss (Illustrator)

Overview

A highly original collection of photographs that unlocks the hidden beauty of the insect world—now adapted for young readers!

Adapted from the adult title Microsculpture, this book for young readers is a unique photographic study of insects in mind-blowing magnification that celebrates the wonders of nature and science. Levon Biss’s photographs capture in breathtaking detail the beauty of the insect world and are printed in large-scale formats to provide an unforgettable viewing experience. The book also features an all-new, kid-friendly text from acclaimed science writer Gregory Mone, who brings the insects to life for young readers with plenty of humor and fascinating facts.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419731662
Publisher:	Abrams Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	03/23/2021
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Levon Biss is widely regarded as the leading macro photographer of his generation. With an unmatched mastery of technique and lighting, he builds his massive images by digitally combining thousands of photographs. Biss is the creator of the book and exhibition Microsculpture: Portraits of Insects (2017), which has toured to 20 countries, and The Hidden Beauty of Seeds & Fruits (2021). He lives in London. The Division of Invertebrate Zoology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, with 24 million specimens, focuses on developing the collection, field research, and laboratory studies.


Gregory Mone is the author of several bestselling works of fiction and nonfiction for both adults and children, including the New York Times bestsellers Bill Nye’s Great Big World of Science, the Jack and the Geniuses series (with Bill Nye), and Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry (with Neil DeGrasse Tyson), along with Atlantis: The Accidental Invasion and Atlantis: The Brink of War. He is a contributing editor at Popular Science and an award-winning science writer. A graduate of Harvard College, he lives with his family on Martha’s Vineyard.

Editorial Reviews

**STARRED REVIEW**
"When it comes to bugs, this book has it all: astonishing color photos of insects; amazing, accessible insect facts; and gross-out humor that’s actually funny. Report writers and browsers will gravitate toward this wonderful, visually thrilling find."

Booklist

★ 03/01/2021

Gr 2–4—The cover of this insect-centered title will attract readers right away. The introduction describes how a boy's interest in the bugs in his backyard piqued the curiosity of his father, a professional photographer. The father, Levon Biss, usually photographs famous people, but this project took him to the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. Biss met naturalists who allowed him to "borrow" specimens of a variety of insects and photograph them using new and interesting cameras, lights, and other equipment so that each insect was photographed many times and in microscopic detail. The bugs were not alive because live insects would not have stayed still for their pictures to be taken. The photos were then enlarged to 10 feet and displayed in museums. Each spread shows a photo of the insect on the verso page with inserts, arrows, and explanatory text. The recto shares the insect's name, location in the world, and size in millimeters. A short paragraph describes the insect, with a few facts in a box below. The detailed facts are sometimes tongue-in-cheek when describing bodily functions. The text also shares when scientists have not discovered details that might add to our understanding of some of these insects. The book ends with a glossary and a website for learning more about microsculpture. VERDICT This fascinating title should not be missed. Readers who love insects, those who are fascinated with new forms of photography and its connections to the study of science, and teachers looking for new ways to interest students in science will love reading and using this book.—Susan Lissim, Dwight Sch., New York City

School Library Journal

2020-12-25
An elaborate photographic process that brings out every bizarre detail and shimmering nuance of color turns 14 insects into lambent “miniature monsters."

Culled from the photographer’s book for adults Microsculpture (2017), the photos of the preserved specimens could just as well have been chosen as much for their subjects’ names—branch-backed treehopper, splendid-necked dung beetle, orchid cuckoo bee—as for their fantastically baroque features and oily hues. The original portraits, stitched together from thousands of photos and blown up to 10 feet (tall or wide, depending on orientation) for a traveling museum exhibit, must be jaw-dropping. Even here they seem to glimmer with thrillingly menacing, heavily armored elegance on their solid black pages, undisturbed by the labeled side views and details that accompany them. Along with describing Biss’ process and marveling at the sheer numberof insect species in the world, Mone offers succinct observations about each selection’s features and habits, tucks in a mini-disquisition on insect setae (“hair-like bits”), and tries (a little too hard) to lighten the mood: “If [potter wasp males] were human dads, they’d probably just sit around watching football and belching.” His suggestion to dazzled readers that after viewing these “fast, creepy, sneaky, smart, and sometimes a little nasty” creatures “you’ll never look at the insects in your backyard the same way again” is well taken, though. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 75% of actual size.)

Art meets biology, with weird and beautiful results. (glossary) (Informational picture book. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews