Product Description

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 travel from an outdoor classroom in Indiana to the rain forests of Costa Rica—all in pursuit of a better understanding of bugs, glorious bugs.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #115585 in Books
• Published on: 2004-03-23
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 48 pages

From School Library Journal
Grades 3-6--Jackson introduces four people with an interest in and knowledge of insects. Tom Turpin, a professor with a mission to make everyone interested in his field, feeds his students insect-based goodies and runs a yearly Bug Bowl in which contestants compete at cricket spitting and other contests. Valerie Cervenka, a forensic entomologist, gives essential information to crime investigators such as the time of death of a murder victim based on the insect infestation of the body. Steven Kutcher provides insect actors for Hollywood films, while Ted Schultz travels to rain forests to study farmer ants. Jackson also introduces the Monarch Watch program and some of the children and scientists who participate in it. Many well-reproduced color photographs add to the book's appeal. The author weaves in much information about the insects, devoting fully half of the text to them, including an "Amazing Insects" list of superlatives in the end, most of the glossary ("Buzz Words"), and bibliography ("Gone Buggy?"). While this is fascinating material covered in a lively manner, it does tend to take focus away from the scientists. There are many insect books and too few books about scientists and what they do for this audience. Nevertheless, this welcome successor to Jackson's The Bone Detectives (Little, Brown, 1996) and The Wildlife Detectives (Houghton, 2000) is sure to be popular with teachers and children alike and it may inspire many young readers to seek careers in entomology.
Louise L. Sherman, formerly at Anna C. Scott School, Leonia, NJ
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 4-7. 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. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"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."

Customer Reviews

Fantastic!
This book is fanatastic. It presents information is an interesting fashion that keeps you and your child interested. I have many books by this author and am impressed every time!