Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Behold the Beautiful Dung Beetle by Cheryl Bardoe - ESSENTIAL

Bardoe, Cheryl  Behold the Beautiful Dung Beetle  32 pages. Charlesbridge, 2014. $18. NONFICTION

From the publisher: "Simple science text and dramatic illustrations give a close-up view of the fascinating world of the dung beetle. When an animal lightens its load, dung beetles race to the scene. They battle over, devour, hoard, and lay their eggs in the precious poop. Dung is food, drink, and fuel for new life--as crucial to these beetles as the beetles are to many habitats, including our own."

     Who knew there was so much to learn about dung beetles? Each spread has two paragraphs, one in larger type for the younger reader, another in smaller type with more details for the older reader. The story makes sense whether you want to read just the larger type, or all the text sequentially. With enough gross-out facts to keep even the most reluctant reader engaged, there's lots to learn about how vital this insect is. Additional facts, glossary, and bibliography are included at the end.

EL - ESSENTIAL     Reviewed by P.K.Foster, teacher-librarian

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