Insectorama: The Marvelous World of Insects

by Lisa Voisard (Illustrator), Jeffrey K. Butt (Translator)

Overview

A beautiful work of art to make you fall in love with the tiny creatures all around you!

Winner of the JP Redouté Children’s Book Prize

The world is full of insects. They far outweigh humans on earth, and we couldn’t survive long without them. But do you really know them? Vetted by entomologist Mathilde Gaudreau, the 30 portraits of Insectorama will give you an insect-eye view of some of the most wonderful you can find in parks and forests. On top of that, you’ll learn plenty of fun facts you can share with friends and family: crickets can hear thanks to ear drums located in their abdomen, unlike the Spring Field Cricket that hears through the knees. Don’t forget about the flies and butterflies who can taste with their legs. Did you know that many insects cross hemispheres when they migrate? Have you ever met the Hercules beetle, at up to seven inches, the largest beetle in the world?

Lisa’ Voisard’s award-winning illustrations will help anyone learn the secrets of these 30 insects: how to find them and how they need our help; how they navigate and how they reproduce. Become an insect expert as you come to love these marvelous little creatures!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783039640164
Publisher:	Helvetiq
Publication date:	03/05/2024
Series:	The Marvelous World of Insects
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	350,171
Product dimensions:	7.30(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.90(d)
Lexile:	IG970L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 12 Years

About the Author

White Raven Award Winner Lisa Voisard is a graphic designer and illustrator from Lausanne, Switzerland. Her illustrations are fresh, graphic, colorful and are often inspired by nature. Arborama was the first book in Lisa's 'A Marvelous World' series, and was a bestseller around the globe.

Jeffrey K. Butt is a translator residing in St. John’s, Canada. Jeffrey holds a Master of Arts degree in French from Memorial University of Newfoundland, as well as a Master of Philosophy in Literary Translation from Trinity College, Dublin. When not translating, Jeffrey enjoys spending time at his cottage, gardening, hiking, traveling, and practicing Taekwon-Do, in which he holds a 4th degree Black Belt.

Table of Contents

Table of contents

What are insects? 6
Insect morphology 8
Different orders 10
Features galore 14

1 Portraits
Towns, cities, and gardens 19
Countryside 77
Wetlands 119
Forests 143
Other incredible insects... 168

2 Go on, take a closer look!
Tips for getting started 182
How to identify an insect 183
Get the right gear 184
Changing with the seasons 186
Towns, cities, and gardens 188
Countryside 189
Wetlands 190
Forests 191
Who goes there? 192
Why are we sometimes afraid of insects? 194

3 The life of insects
Stunning transformations 198
Reproduction 200
Egg-laying 201
Camouflage and mimicry 203
Communication and seduction 204
Means of defense 207
Predators 208
Amazing migrations 210
Why are insects disappearing? 214
What they do for the planet 216
What they do for us 217
How we can save insects 218

Editorial Reviews

"Supple and humorous ... Lisa Voisard gives children the knowledge they need to identify bugs, butterflies, moths, beetles and flies when they see them." – The Wall Street Journal 

"A nonfiction volume of chic design...with a nice mix of field-guide facts and cultural commentary.” – The Wall Street Journal 

"Chock-full of information, clearly and delightfully presented." – Kirkus Reviews

"Insectorama is a comprehensive, beautifully designed guide that belongs in every library." – Youth Services Book Review

"Simply but emphatically stated, Insectorama: The Marvelous World of Insects is an ideal, unique, informative, and unreservedly recommended addition to family, elementary school, middle school, and community library environment/ecology and insect biology collections for young readers ages 10-12." - Midwest Book Review

From the Publisher

2023-12-06
Introductions to over three dozen common insects from pea aphids to praying mantises, along with helpful advice for observing and identifying them.

Originally written in French and published in Switzerland but still featuring insects easily found in North America, this guide follows Voisard’s Arborama: The Marvelous World of Trees (2023), both in general format and in offering a broadly appealing mix of background basics and specific detail. After an overview of insect morphology, pithy profiles appear of representatives from the eight major insect orders, commonsensically grouped by habitat. Each insect entry features large painted portraits (including male and female specimens in cases where the differences are easily visible), with labels for distinctive features, images of metamorphic stages and favorite foods, and even depictions of similar-looking related species. The accompanying descriptive notes are as colorful as the art: Seven-spotted ladybug nymphs “look like tiny brains,” while beneath an adult’s “cute exterior lurks a true predator.” The author advises young observers on where and when to look for insects, then presents broader pictures of migration, metamorphosis, and other relevant topics before closing with eco-friendly tips and activities. Overall, the book has more than enough material not just to kindle and feed an abstract interest in our six-legged neighbors but also to push any young nature lover out of doors to check them out directly.

Broad, bright, and systematic. (resources and activities, scale index, alphabetical index) (Nonfiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews