Nic Bishop: Butterflies and Moths

As soon as you grab a hold of one of Nic Bishop's amazing children's books, you'll be a fan for life. Nic Bishop has brought his vast knowledge of biology to life through his enlightening nonfiction books on frogs, spiders, and many more. So it was only time before he added Nic Bishop Butterflies And Moths to the mix. What stands apart from all other nonfiction picture books are the lengths Nic Bishop goes to just to capture the images for his books. The breathtaking full-page pictures will introduce young readers to the beauty of these amazing creatures, from the shockingly bright blue morpho butterfly to the nearly transparent glasswing butterfly to the mouthless luna moth. The simple, engaging text presents information on caterpillars, metamorphosis, camoflauge, appearance, habits and life cycle. What will truly have your young readers ooohhing and aaahhing is a double gatefold spread of a butterfly in flight.

Sometimes people are confused as to the difference between a moth and a butterfly. Once you learn that a butterfly's antennae are thin with little knobs on the end of them and a moth's are feathery you'll be come an instant expert when you are on a nature field trip. There are other little differences as well. For example, moths tend to "have fatter bodies covered with furry hairs,' while butterflies tend to be more colorful and "rest with their wings open, not closed." There are many things to learn about these fascinating creatures! In this book you'll be able to take a look at many enlarged photographic examples of both moths and butterflies, among them the very interesting metamorphosis of a monarch butterfly. You'll learn about many unusual ways they defend themselves, their diets, their body composition, their life cycle (metamorphosis), their habitats, their behavior, the differences between moths and butterflies, how they fly, their lifespan and more. You'll get to see a big surprise on page 26, but you'll have to read to the book to discover it. Did you know there is a "rain forest caterpillar [that] twists its body around and puffs up its front end to look like a poisonous snake?" Now that is a sight you won't want to miss! This was one of the most amazing books I've ever read on butterflies and moths, not so much for the text, but rather for the stunning photographs. The text was very informative and had a slight poetic lilt to it, without detracting from the educational task at hand, which I totally enjoyed. For example, "Butterflies outfox birds with their helter-skelter flight. It's hard to catch something that bobs and skips through the air." In the back of the book is a glossary and an index. AND you'll get a chance to meet Nic himself as he talks about his passion and interest in his subject. One picture is worth a thousand words, so dear reader, you have a lot of reading to do in this fantastic book!

Nic Bishop's BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS provides a lovely primer on butterfly life cycles, enhanced by Nic Bishop's close-up color photos. From catching them to observing them, kids are treated to a fine journey of discovery.