Insects Books

"Lebanese Amber: The Oldest Insect Ecosystem in Fossilized Resin" written by George O. Poinar,Jr. and Raif K. Milki is a very well appointed book with color photos of insects, spores and other fauna and flora entomed in resin from towering kauri pines, (which only exist in the Australasian region of the southern hemisphere today), in prehistoric Lebanon some 135 million years ago. The Early Cretaceous is the time of the dinosaurs.

Amber is known for preserving fossils in life-like condition, because they were not subjected to compression that all too commonly affects most soft-bodied organisms that enter the prehistoric record. This is what "Jurassic Park" is based upon, a biting insect with dinosaur DNA in its digestive tract.

In "Lebanese Amber: The Oldest Insect Ecosystem in Fossilized Resin" we see indicated well-illustrated appearances of many insect groups. There are very good descriptions of individual fossils and there is added material documented by photographs. There is also provided background information on geology and occurences of Lebanese amber and a comprehensive section on other types of resins and gums found in the Near East that might be confused with true amber. The book is a review of all the organisms thus far reported from Lebanese amber.

I found this book to be very helpful in recognizing true Lebanese amber from Near Eastern resins, copals, and gums and is very helpful with the indentification of insect inclusions amber samples. I gave this book a solid 5 stars for it is a book you'll want as a reference.

Reading Fabre is a joyful experience. I don't normally care much about insects, but I find that reading Fabre's essays on various denizens of his Provence property draw me into the passion he feels for his beloved subjects. Unfettered by formal education and conventional notions (Fabre was an autodidact), Fabre gives free rein to his delight in observing the insect world while not losing a standard of refined, accurate observation. He also has the knack of keeping the reader engaged, allowing the drama of these tiny lives to show through. This book is a great find. I got turned on to it by its mention in William Zinsser's "Writing To Learn" as a premium example of the finest non-fiction writing.

I teach First Grade and we are working on a unit on bees. This book has beautiful illustrations and all anyone would want to know about bees. It also tells about the various types of honey and bees. There is an diagram of a beekeeper in his/her protective clothes. This book has helped make my class wild about bees.

This book is wonderfully written for kids 9-12 years old. It has mostly live photographs and also includes well done, interesting illustrations, bold print of key words, plus the monarch is one of my favorite butterflies.

Here are the contents:
1 BEAUTIFUL BUTTERFLIES (Nineteen species of butterflies shown.)
2 WHAT IS A BUTTERFLY? (Keywords: insect, thorax, abdomen, antennae, compound eyes, nectar, probiscus)
3 WHAT IS A LIFE CYCLE? (Monarchs live longer, those born in the spring live four to five weeks but those born in the autumn live for several months.)
4 THE MAGNIFICENT MONARCH (**Monarchs need milkweed! If there are no milkweed plants in an area, there will be no monarchs either!)
5 HUNGRY CATERPILLARS (Key words: tentacles, spinneret)
6 TOO BIG FOR ITS SKIN (Keywords: molt, face mask, instar)
7 TAKING A WALK (Button)
8 AMAZING CHANGE! (Keywords: dissolves, emerge)
9 A COMPLETELY NEW LOOK (Keywords: metamorphosis, form)
10 MALE AND FEMALE (Males have a dark dot on each of their hind wings. The dots make up the scent scales. When a male is ready to mate, it rubs its scent scales with its hind legs which creates a scent that attracts females.)
11 FLYING SOUTH (Since they must travel so far, they often glide, or let the wind carry them.)
12 MONARCHS IN DANGER (**Monarchs lay eggs only on milkweed plants. If they cannot find healthy milkweed, monarchs will not lay eggs. People build roads and buildings on fields where milkweed grows and they kill milkweed because they think it is ugly. Get a group of friends to help you plant milkweed or move it from gardens to wild areas.)
13 WELCOME BUTTERFLIES! (Keywords: pollen, pesticides)
14 RAISE A MONARCH (You will need:...)
15 Glossary and Index

Soar!

Mosquitos now inhabit most of the earth, including the Arctic. They may only live three weeks to five months, but the nasty little critters have been on earth since the dinosaurs and do not appear likely to go away soon. Ouch!
Mosquitos give credence to the argument that everything was put here to be eaten.
Did you know the female mosquito mate only once, but the male mates as often as he can? Enough of that...
We are cautioned that only a few of the 3,000 species bite humans, but that's plenty!
Lots of super clear color photography. Kudos to the photographers. Glossary and index.
A great high interest read and a welcome nonfiction addition to any school or public library.

If you are doing a unit on silkworms or insects,this book is a great resource for educators. The book offers many wonderful photographs of each stage in the life cycle. Every page has a timeline that shows the life cycle of a silk worm. The text is brief and informative, perfect for younger students.
This book can also be used to teach students how to read informational text. There is a table of contents, bolded words, glossary, and index. Highly recommended!

My son just came home from school with this book from the library. A must have in your young scientist collection. This book has wonderful photos. Learn about molting, ballooning, spiderlings and more!

If your kiddos, students or your own are interested in worms, this is a great addition to your library. Good pictures and explanations.

Have you ever been interested in the sex life of worms? What about parasites and how they eat? This book has simple but informative drawings and somewhat easy text that go into just enough detail to keep you interested. It offers suggestions on how to do soil experiments and breaks the subject matter into 10 chapters, one for each group of critters. Very fascinating in a creepy, crawley way.

I can't remember how this book "fell" into my hands, but I COULD NOT put it down once it had. As a lover of spiders since childhood, I sat agape, mouth in my lap as I read an entomologist's experiences observing various arachnid species on several continents.