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 The Bug Scientists
by Donna M. Jackson
(Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002; Paperback 2004)
Small is beautiful — or so the bug scientists of the world believe. Insects, they say, boast qualities the rest of us have perhaps
overlooked. They are among the earth's best fliers and farmers. They have survived and adapted for 350 million years, whereas we humans have been around for a mere 10,000 years. There are millions upon
millions of species yet to be identified. Indeed, insects are perhaps nature's least celebrated but most successful creatures on earth.
By following the footsteps of several bug scientists, we take a closer look at the extraordinary bugs that crawl,
swim and whiz past us. We visit the morgue, drop by an outdoor classroom, witness a bug bowl festival — complete with a cricket-spitting contest (yuck!) — and travel to the rain forests of Costa Rica — all in pursuit of a
better understanding of bugs, glorious bugs.
Reviews
From start to finish, this book is a compelling and fun-to-read example of how good nonfiction can be. It
provides a current look at five bug-researchers and their work in the areas of monarch butterfly watches, using bugs in forensic research (“this section may be hazardous to your lunch”), “training” bugs for the
movies, a man whose mission is to make bugs interesting to kids, and another who studies an amazing ant species that tends its cattle aphids and farms fungus.
Vibrant pictures, endmatter that includes a sort of Ripley's believe-it-or-not insect stats, a glossary of “Buzz Words,” a short but excellent bibliography of other related children's books and websites, and an
index further this book's use in the science classroom. Parts would make fine read-alouds, and the idea that we are still learning about the insect world is great for would-be researchers to hear. This is another
entry in the cutting-edge and excellent "Scientists in the Field" series.
- Children's Literature
“Bug-happy young readers will come away with both general information about insects, and an idea of how a fascination with them can turn into a career path.”
- Kirkus Reviews
Innovative ant farmers; crime-solving bugs; tasty crickets (Chocolate Chirpy Chip Cookies, anyone?). The
much-maligned world of insects becomes fascinating in this latest entry in the excellent Scientists in the Field series. The text is organized into profiles of entomologists, each representing a unique angle of the
profession: a college professor who sparks student interest with cockroach races; a scientist who uses bugs to help police solve crimes; a Hollywood “Bug Director”; and so on.
In between discussion of what each job entails, the highly readable text weaves in plenty of science--everything from insect characteristics to species behavior--always emphasizing how bugs
benefit humans. With its crisp photos and lively story angles and language, this is sure to attract young readers, and a chapter profiling a fifth-grader monarch conservationist will convince insect enthusiasts
that they don't need a master's degree to participate in the field.
- Booklist
Related Links
New York Times Science Book Recommendations
Newsday: Our Natural World Book Suggestions
Entomologist Steven Kutcher's homepage: Learn more about the spider man behind the movie “Spider Man!”
Blood, Bones and Bugs: School Library Journal
Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Kids
PBS Teacher Source: Recommended Books
Order THE BUG SCIENTISTS from Amazon.com
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