2010 Finalist Reviews
Winner of the 2010 Animal Behavior Society Outstanding Children's Book Award:
Bug Butts, by Dawn Cusick (EarlyLight books). Review by John P. Roche, University of Massachusetts Medical School.
This book is gross. There is no question about it— Bug Butts, by Dawn Cusick, is really, really gross. But that very grossness makes kids love it, and helps it succeed as a powerful vehicle to communicate fascinating and little-known information about insects. By being so engaging and interesting, it fulfills the mission of the book’s publisher, EarlyLight books: it presents real science, with real fun.
Bug Butts describes a variety of biological functions of insect hind ends. In some insects, the anus makes bubbles that help protect the young. In others, the anus is used to breathe oxygen from the air. In yet others, the hind end is used to spin silk to make cocoons in which to pupate. Bark beetles deposit trails of pheromones with their anuses as they eat paths through tree bark, and larval tortoise beetles use their hind ends to build large umbrellas of fecal material, called a fecal shield, under which to hide from predators.
The book is organized around three chapters, “Bug Off”, “Talk to Me”, and “Tasty Treats”. These chapters present insights into a wide range of functions served by insect hind ends, including roles in communication and feeding. The book finishes with a detailed description and illustration of the insect alimentary tract, explaining the jobs accomplished by the mouth, foregut, midgut, and hindgut.
The pages of this book are full of clear and colorful artwork that helps illustrate the functions being described. It is written in a lively, information-packed style, and it is designed to engage readers in the process of inquiry that is the heart of science. It provides frequent questions for active engagement thinking. For example, students are asked to consider, “Why are weevils and caterpillars so hungry?” Do you know the answer?
Whether you know why weevils are so hungry or not, you are encouraged to get a copy of Bug Butts and delve into the fascinating world of insect bottoms. Whether you are an entomologist or just a regular citizen, a kid or a mere adult, you will be fascinated with this book—it appeals compellingly to the young entomologist in us all. This book is not just another fun science book for kids; in class testing by hundreds of children in grades 3 through 5 across the country, Bug Butts was overwhelmingly selected as the 2010 winner of the Animal Behavior Society’s Outstanding Children’s Book Award competition. As one elementary-school student commented, “This book is gross. I loved it!”
Bug Butts, by Dawn Cusick. Publisher: EarlyLight Books, Waynesville, North Carolina. Hardcover, color illustrations; 48 pages.
Finalists for the 2010 Animal Behavior Society Outstanding Children's Book Award:
Book Review of Bubble Homes and Fish Farts, written by Fiona Bayrock Review by: Sue Margulis, Canisius College, Buffalo NY
What child would NOT want to read a book with “Farts” in the title? Bubble Homes and Fish Farts, by Fiona Bayrock and illustrated by Carolyn Conahan, combines lovely illustrations with excellent scientific information about a wide array of species that all make and use bubbles in order to survive. The book is written at an appropriate level for grade-school children, yet the scientific content will intrigue even older readers. With information on species as diverse as the very familiar bottlenose dolphin to the more obscure rattlebox moth, Bubble Homes is sure to include an animal that every reader can identify with. Fiona Bayrock does an excellent job of linking the varied species described by their common, and often creative, use of bubbles—to hunt, to play with, to raise young in. Carolyn Conahan’s illustrations are simple and appealing, with a common color theme of blues and greens providing continuity throughout the book. The captions on the illustrations provide a touch of humor as well.
Many student reviewers described the book as “entertaining” and “really fun.” One fifth grader commented: “I love the descriptions and pictures. I can see a picture in my head like a movie.”
So, do fish fart? In fact, as we learn in the book, they don’t. Herring produce “fast repetitive ticks" ( FaRTS, for short), possibly as a way of communicating. But, the title Bubble Homes and Fish Fast Repetitive Ticks just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
Review of The Strange Life of the Land Hermit Crab, written by Wendy Pfeffer Review by Wendy K. Hein, 4-H Youth Development, Oregon State University Extension Service.
Whether encountered on the beach or at the pet store, the hermit crab has become a familiar invertebrate to many aspiring young scientists. In The Strange Life of the Land Hermit Crab, we follow a female crab through her life cycle, from egg to mature adult. Wendy Pfeffer is an experienced author of science-themed children’s books and she uses a simple story to weave the life stages together. Although there are no humans in this book, our focal crab does find man-made items like a plastic bottle and peanut butter crackers. A new fact is subtly embedded in each page: night herons are a predator of adult crabs; hermit crabs make chirping and croaking sounds; the larvae look nothing like their adult counterparts. In fact, careful attention is paid to the larval stage, including excellent illustrations. Illustrator Katherine Zecca uses her background in technical illustrating to accurately depict not only the hermit crabs, but also their natural environment and surrounding species. Younger children (age 5–7) will appreciate the directness of the story and the detailed pictures, and older readers (age 8–10) will enjoy the behavioral details and learning scientific words (like “tunicate”). All ages will be inspired to take a trip to the beach or pet store.
Review of Animal Aha!, written by Diane Swanson Review by Michelle Solensky, Jamestown College
Pig-eating pythons? Elephants playing basketball? This colorful and engaging book includes photos and stories about these and other fascinating animal behaviors. Animals do some pretty wacky things, and the scientists who study them have to use clever strategies to try to understand why animals do the things they do. Diane Swanson has written entertaining accounts of the thrill of scientific discovery—the “AHA!” moments in animal research. Featured animal behaviors include gorillas using a tree branch to test the depth of river water; elephants recognizing and responding to their own reflections in a mirror; dolphins doing basic math by distinguishing more from less; a parrot using words in meaningful communication; pythons growing and shrinking their hearts after large meals; and cockroaches that can learn at night, but not in the morning. This book is full of colorful photographs of the featured animals and the researchers who try to understand their behavior. Its chapters include not only an entertaining description of each animal, but also a detailed account of one particular behavior of each animal, as well as insight into the process of scientific discovery used by scientists to try to painstakingly uncover the information that we read about in other animal books. Animal Aha! will appeal to kids of all ages, and is particularly accessible for readers in 5th grade and up. In the words of a 4th grade reviewer of this book, “I liked learning what animals can do, because animals can do really cool things!”
