Strange Beginnings
by Karen Needham and Launi Lucas, illustrated by Launi Lucas
Canada First Children's Bookclub has chosen Strange Beginnings for their book list.
Kindergarten-Grade 2-The mayflies, dragonflies,
damselflies, stoneflies, fishflies, caddisflies, and
diving beetles clearly and elegantly illustrated in
this nature book spend their early life underwater and
change appearance considerably upon maturation from
naiad to adult. These two stages of life are depicted
for each insect on spreads, usually with some other
form of pond life identified in the text. The authors
provide a rudimentary but comprehensible explanation
of these vast
differences: "breathing, eating and swimming
underwater require very different skills from living
above it." Though some naiad forms live far longer
than their mature counterparts-mayflies live submerged
for two or three years, but the adults live for only
90 minutes-generally, it is the adult with whom
readers are familiar. An appendix lists scientific
information:
order, species, Latin name and derivation, and
habitats of the insects. The final picture, of two
small hands cupping water, is informative for scale:
the seemingly large monsters depicted throughout the
book can all fit together in the palm. This winning
introduction to these forms of insect life could
easily prompt further investigation, either in the
library or in nature
itself. -- School Library Journal
In the mysterious world of pond life
Mayflies are famous for their sudden, mass
emergencies, like a clouds of tiny fluttering feathers
in springtime.
What isn't commonly known is the mayfly's time in the
sun is a mad rush to find a mate and lay an egg before
death all within 90 minutes. It's a brief, flashy
ending after two or three years of a life underwater.
"If you only have 90 minutes, you had better have
everyone come out all at once," says entomologist
Karen Needham, a University of B.C. instructor and
author of a new children's non-fiction book on
aquatic insects, Strange Beginnings. Her collaborator
on the book is UBC scientific illustrator Launi Lucas.
Strange Beginnings addresses an absence of knowledge
Needham and Lucas noted in children's literature
regarding the early lives of critters found in most
neighborhood ponds and creeks including the pond at
Richmond Nature Park. Aimed at inquisitive scientists
aged four through eight, the book shows seven aquatic
insects (such as caddis flies, fishflies, diving
beetles and stoneflies) as both the larvae and adults.
"Everyone knows what an adult dragonfly looks like
but they're only in that stage for a couple of
weeks," Needham say "They can spend several years in
the larval stage."
While some kids' books do cover insect life, Needham
often finds both the illustrations and information
lacking in veracity.
"One of my peeves is when books are not
scientifically accurate or are dumbed-down for kids
when you know they could handle it," she says, noting
the high level of
detailed accuracy of Lucas' illustrations. Any
entomologist or person with a solid knowledge of bugs
should be able to identify the critter at the genus
level and possibly its species. Their commitment to
accuracy created its own challenge finding
specimens of the larva and adult of the same species
for Lucas to draw.
'Especially with the caddis fly we had a hard time,"
Needham says, noting that while caddis fly larvae are
well studied because of their "sexy" unique method of
home-building with nearby materials, the bug's adult
stage as a brown, dull, moth-like creature doesn't
attract a lot of scientific attention.
"We also had 600,000 bugs to choose from (at UBC's
Museum of Entomology) and we wanted to find what was
local and what was common."
Published by Tradewind Books in December, the book is
available across Canada, the U.S., Australia and in
the U.K. The fairytale-esque story of the book's
publishing could make any aspiring children's books
writer fall out of her chair. It went like this:
Needham had the idea for the book, she discussed it
with Lucas, they took a course on writing children's
books at Langara College, they pitched the idea to the
publisher as part of the course, the publisher loved
the book. No shopping around, no rejection letters.
And another book project is in the works.
Credit both women's passion for bugs.
"Every day that I'm standing in water up to my knees
with a net in my hand I wonder how I got so lucky,"
Needham says. "They're my favourite little creatures
and I wanted to share them."
Lucas found her colleague's enthusiasm infectious.
"(Needham) got me into them. When you consider the
biodiversity of these insects, they're very
intriguing."
-- The Richmond Review, 07/29/2002
For bug lovers, "Strange Beginnings" by Karen Needham
and Launi Lucas is a natural history book of
creepy-crawlers. These insects have a childhood
underwater, with a very different look than their
grown-up counterparts. Next time life seems too short,
remember the mayfly, whose adult life lasts only 90
minutes. At least there's no time to regret.�BC Bookworld, Summer 2002
Both children and adults will enjoy the brilliant
illustrations and delight in discovering interesting
facts about these aquatic insects which live in nearby
ponds. The adult mayfly lives for only 90 minutes and
we see their entire life cycle in this great book for
everyone interested in nature and bugs.�BC Parent Magazine, Summer 2002
This beautifully illustrated children's book is a fascinating guide for parents
and children who like to poke around in creeks and ponds. There we will find
strange little creatures that spend most of their lives underwater as larvae or
naiads, finally emerging and briefly living as common insects, like mayflies or
dragonflies. This is a good book for parents to read to youngsters, and to
follow up with exploration into nature at a level of detail perfect for
children.
�Finding Solutions David Suzuki Foundation Newsletter, Summer 2002
The world of insects with aquatic lifestages is not often portrayed in children's books.
Few kids, or even adukts for that matter, have seen the strange and mysterious immature stages of
mayflies, dragonflies, and other insects that frequent ponds, lakes, and streams. The illustrations
in Strange Beginnings are scientifically accurate and beautiful to look at. In our opinion the person
most likely to appreciate and to use this book is the teacher! The illustrations and facts could be very
effective as part of a more comprehensive unit covering pond or stream ecosystems. �-
From Wee Beasties
Entymology Newsletter for Educators University of Kentucky Department of Eny |
