The Bug Scientists

Z loved it, especially the chapter on ants and the Smithsonian scientist who studies fungus farming ants. We skipped the chapter on forensic entomology, since it was too CSI and gory for a 5 yo. ( )

This book introduces Professor Tom Turpin and his love of bugs. Though the book contains a lot of information and is geared toward more skilled readers, it is written in a kid-friendly way. During the "living things" unit I will read the first few pages about Turpin to the class and flip through the remainder of the pages showing off the pictures and captions. Then the book will be made available to students to read as they choose for pleasure or as part of their research project, ( )

The SCIENTISTS IN THE FIELD SERIES BOOK: BUG SCIENTIST is an excellent book to help children see that bugs can be very cool. In this book, the author writes about many different jobs that people can have with bug. The author introduces students to an entomologist, a forensic bug expert, and an ant expert. The pictures that are used to illustrate the book help children imagine how fun it would be to work in each of the different jobs. The access features in this text help give the book good organization and make it user-friendly.. There is a glossary, index, and references for students to learn more about different bug topics. Overall, this book would be great to use in the classroom during an occupation unit. Some of the bug jobs are not jobs that a kid would think about. This book would be a great way to introduce the concept that bugs are not always gross. ( )

Interesting book on bugs. Learn about dfferent jobs adults have that involve working with bugs: Forensic Science, Teachers, and Even Movie Directors. This book is filled with tons of information. ( )

The Bug Scientists is about, well, bug scientists. It gives information about three different scientists working in the field of entomology. The first is Professor Tom Turpin from Purdue University, who spends his time teaching students about the wonderful world of bugs. Every year, he holds a "Bug Bowl" where a famous cricket spitting contest is the main attraction. The second scientist, Valerie Cervenka, uses her bug expertise to help police and investigators solve crimes. Due to her knowledge of what insects come in at what time of decomposition, she is able to tell investigators how long a body has been deceased. The third entomologist, Dr. Ted Schultz, is a researcher at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. His expertise is working with and studying different ant colonies. I really enjoyed this book and I think students would find it very interesting. The cover has Professor Tom Turpin with two giant bugs on his face. Gross! However, I think kids would definitely be attracted. The book has a Table of Contents giving information of where to find each scientist. Each researcher's story is separated by Inserted Information pages called "Bug Bits". The first talks about the Monarch Butterfly, the second about a scientist who works with bugs in movies, and the third is about amazing bug facts. The book has a glossary, cleverly, called "Buzz Words," a "Gone Buggy?" section telling a reader where to go to find more information, and an index. The book is illustrated with many interesting photographs of various bugs. ( )