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Insect Museum
Close-ups of a miniature universe. This innovative reference explores the fascinating world of insects and allows readers to discover the intricacies of these tiny creatures in a striking and completely original way. Insect Museum features 114 extreme close-up photographs of butterflies, dragonflies, beetles and flies, as well as spiders and centipedes, that allow readers to appreciate fully the subtle esthetics of each insect's form, the delicate texture of its wings and the beauty of its colors. Each full-color plate is accompanied by a thorough description of the insect that There are also more than 330 additional photos that illustrate larvae, ovulation, mating, nutrition and other important aspects of the insect's life cycle. Insect Museum takes readers closer to insects than ever before and ensures they will never look at insects in the same way again.
- GenresAnimalsNonfictionNature
256 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 4, 2011
The photos in this book are amazing. We love it and so does our three year old daughter. I think it is a great introduction for kids so they don't grow up afraid of bugs.
May 2, 2014
I really like bugs. If I had a better mind for holding on to weird words and less of an aversion to sleeping outside or talking in front of a large group of people, I probably would have seriously considered going in to entomology. Arthropods have always fascinated me, though, so when I ran across this book I had to read it.
Dourlot focuses on insects (really all arthropods despite the title) found in her native France. The more I read of this, the more I wished there was something exactly like it for America. The book itself is very large, and each insect described is given one page of explanation and then one entire page for a close-up picture.
The text for each insect includes information like classification, habitat, mating habits, life cycles, and any weird facts that go along with it (which, in this particular phylum, that’s a lot of weird facts). Want some weird facts?
•The Alcon Large Azure Blue Butterfly caterpillar must be adopted by red ants of the genus Myrmica to continue developing. It does this by mimicking ant larvae and secreting pheromones that are very similar to them.
•The Common Bombardier Beetle can project a burning liquid from its anus if threatened. This liquid is as hot as 212 degrees Fahrenheit or 100 degrees Celsius. To keep itself from blowing up, this beetle stores the explosive mixture (hydroquinone and hydrogen peroxide) in two communicating chambers in the presence of a reaction inhibitor. Pretty technical for a bug between 7 and 10 mm long.
•Preying Mantids are adorable. This is more a personal observation. But really, they clean their little faces when they’re done nibbling pieces off their prey/boyfriends. How cute is that?
There’s also a nice introduction to orient the reader to some of the scientific language in the book, helpful to those of us who in fact do not have entomology degrees.
The pictures are by far what make this book amazing. Yes, the facts are interesting, but to have a picture so close-up of a creature that’s no bigger than the tip of a pin really brings to life the insect world like nothing else. On each photo you also get a shadowed outline of the actual size of the insect, just to put everything into perspective.
While it’s more of an adult book due to the higher reading level required, I imagine most kids who enjoy insects would love this book.
Full review here.
Dourlot focuses on insects (really all arthropods despite the title) found in her native France. The more I read of this, the more I wished there was something exactly like it for America. The book itself is very large, and each insect described is given one page of explanation and then one entire page for a close-up picture.
The text for each insect includes information like classification, habitat, mating habits, life cycles, and any weird facts that go along with it (which, in this particular phylum, that’s a lot of weird facts). Want some weird facts?
•The Alcon Large Azure Blue Butterfly caterpillar must be adopted by red ants of the genus Myrmica to continue developing. It does this by mimicking ant larvae and secreting pheromones that are very similar to them.
•The Common Bombardier Beetle can project a burning liquid from its anus if threatened. This liquid is as hot as 212 degrees Fahrenheit or 100 degrees Celsius. To keep itself from blowing up, this beetle stores the explosive mixture (hydroquinone and hydrogen peroxide) in two communicating chambers in the presence of a reaction inhibitor. Pretty technical for a bug between 7 and 10 mm long.
•Preying Mantids are adorable. This is more a personal observation. But really, they clean their little faces when they’re done nibbling pieces off their prey/boyfriends. How cute is that?
There’s also a nice introduction to orient the reader to some of the scientific language in the book, helpful to those of us who in fact do not have entomology degrees.
The pictures are by far what make this book amazing. Yes, the facts are interesting, but to have a picture so close-up of a creature that’s no bigger than the tip of a pin really brings to life the insect world like nothing else. On each photo you also get a shadowed outline of the actual size of the insect, just to put everything into perspective.
While it’s more of an adult book due to the higher reading level required, I imagine most kids who enjoy insects would love this book.
Full review here.
June 4, 2010
Nice photography/illustrations. A few typos (or perhaps translation errors, I think the author is french). Species described are mostly not native to North America.
December 28, 2013
Used the photos in this book for reference while planning a never finished painting.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews