Strange Nature: The Insect Portraits of Levon Biss by Gregory Mone

Strange Nature: The Insect Portraits of Levon Biss Reviews

• 
  Barbara

  I've been a fan of the collage paper illustrations of animals created by Steve Jenkins because the animals seem so real. Those readers who have enjoyed his book, especially Beetles, will simply have to have this book featuring the photographs of Levon Biss. The attention to detail for each of the insects featured here results in beautiful images that allow readers to see their antennae, wings, legs, and hairs up close. Since each image is the result of 8,000 photographs put together, readers can glory in the colors, body structure, and the fascinating way these insects operate. Starting with the Assassin Bug in Bolivia and ending with the iridescent bark mantis of Sumatra, the book celebrates 14 of these insects while providing interesting facts about each one, including size, habitat, movement, food choices and discussing setae (the feathery hairy parts on their legs and other body parts) and offering information about entomology and what entomologists do. The use of a black background for these portraits--and portraits, they are in their resplendent beauty--allows the creatures' jewel tones and textures to be displayed attractively. I was so intrigued that I had to check out a website that shows even more. While the text accompanying these portraits can seem a bit juvenile and silly at points (comparing one beetle to a camel, for instance), it's the kind of humor that fourth, fifth or sixth graders enjoy, and perfectly acceptable for its intended audience. Science teachers should definitely snap this book up and add it to their collection. But it might be hard for them to tear their eyes away from the beauties on its pages.
• 
  Vanne

  Van zo dichtbij zag je ze niet eerder. 14 prachtige haarscherpe portretten van insecten uit de collectie van het Ofxord University Museum of Natural History. Met informatie over hun leefgebied en een aantal gekke feitjes. Engelstalig informatief boek met mooie pagina vullende foto’s.
  
  Volledige recensie voor Biblion.
• 
  Pamela

  Great photos. Text full of interesting facts if a little inconsistent in quantity and variability.
• 
  Tasha

  Levon Biss is a photographer who usually took pictures of celebrities and politicians. When his son brought him a regular garden beetle, the two of them looked at it under a microscope and were amazed at what they saw. Biss then selected 37 insects from the collection of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History to photograph. He used special lenses, cameras and lights to take thousands of pictures of each insect. Those many images were then combined to create the Microsculpture project. The images were enlarged and shown in museums around the world. This nonfiction picture book explores the images created from the Microsculpture project and offers information on each of the insects.
  
  Mone’s text is limited to explaining how Biss got into photographing insects and then moves into sharing scientific information and fascinating facts about each insect. The book includes a glossary and an encouragement to head to the Microsculpture website to learn even more. Mone’s information is nicely selected offering enticing facts, measurements and also pointing out the most interesting parts of the photograph to the reader.
  
  The portraits are incredibly detailed and beautiful. From the lighting that captures each insects iridescence to the incredible shapes of their bodies and armor. The book offers close ups of various parts of each insect, allowing readers to see eyes, legs, heads and more up close. These images are transformative, letting all of us know that we walk in a world of tiny amazing monsters.
  
  Remarkable photographs that will have you leaning in close to see even more, if you dare! Appropriate for ages 4-8.
• 
  Shane Harcombe

  This is an awe-inspiring book that captures the amazing, eerie beauty of the insect world. I can't even wrap my head around how each of these portraits is actually made up of thousands of images, but regardless the end result is stunning. While the text tells you how large each insect is in real-life, I think a visual representation on the page would have been useful.
  
  The
  associated website allows for further exploration of the images, including incredible levels of zoom. A must for libraries and nature lovers.
• 
  Eileen Winfrey

  Lots of facts about some fascinating insects from around the world. Possible extension activity for students as to why the insects are measured in millimeters. Also, these things are the stuff of my nightmares and I now have sources rendering my fear of bugs totally warranted. Great add for the school library.
• 
  Brenda Kahn

  Fascinating photos and intriguing, often humorous text make for a book that won't sit! Love this.
• 
  Sunday

  WOW. My response every time I turned the page. This is the kind of book you could entice students to the carpet with or begin a day with or transition into another part of the day with. Read aloud Mone's fascinating facts about one or two of these insects a day while showing Levon Biss's photographs - projected with a document camera or just held up for students to look at closely - and your students will be riveted (and sure to sigh when you put it away).
  
  WISH - I wish there were some better connections between the labels on the photograph and the text. For example, Mone describes the "horn" of the Amazonian Purple Warrior Scab but the horn is not identified in the photograph; the elytra (a second set of wings) are mentioned for several insects, but again not labeled (and for the splendid-necked dung beetle not easy to pick out). The text includes the numerical length of each insect (in millimeters and centimeters); would have been nice to have a "life size" scale of some sort. NEITHER OF THESE WISHES IS A DEAL BREAKER. I'd still read aloud or recommend to readers and leave to be snatched up for independent reading.
  
  A note about Mone's text - he frequently reaches out to his reader in a humorous way ("Amazonian purple warrior scarabs prefer to eat rotting meat instead of animal droppings. Really, though, who wouldn't?") This mostly works but sometimes it feels "silly" (as another reviewer stated). But, hey, I'm not an eight-year-old, so what do I know?
  
  There is a message in the text about HOW COOL IT WOULD BE TO BECOME AN ENTOMOLOGIST with a quick page on their work. This would PAIR NICELY with How to Build an Insect by Roberta Gibson that describes the basic parts of an insect; Strange Nature zooms in, taking the reader a step further as they get to examine the tiny hair, dimples, claws, horns of these creatures. Another thought is to create a text set of books that look closely at insects including (as another reviewer suggested) The Beetle Book by Steve Jenkins.
• 
  Tammy

  Thinking about smooshing that creeper in the bathroom? Think again!
  
  I am mesmerized by the book Strange Nature! Levon Biss, an award-winning photographer, and Gregory Mone have created a book that any young person will love. Inspired by his son's discovery of a beetle in their backyard, Levon Biss became fascinated by insects. His images have been expanded to the sizes of cars and displayed in museums around the world.
  
  If you're looking for a unique gift for a young person in your life, pick up a copy of this book, a small shovel, and a pail. Wrap them up, and they'll be learning and discovering for hours in the backyard!
  
  The book's detailed images are paired with facts and information about insects. The author, Gregory Mone, uses humor ("...delightful smells of fresh dung and rotting meat far away. Alert! Festering flesh ahead!") and the layout is inviting for readers. Each page features a different insect. At the top of each page, the author has included the country where each insect lives. What a fun geography connection to help us learn about the location of countries from Belize to Borneo to Bolivia.
  
  What I love about this book is that it can keep a very young child's interest with the photos and, as they grow, become a resource they come back to again and again.
• 
  Jj

  The photographs and informational aspects are AWESOME. But a lot of the text is just too jokey and feels dumbed-down for a young audience. That kind of ruined it for me in a lot of parts. Kids can and will enjoy a book of totally mind-blowing insect photos and facts about them without bad jokes thrown in. The facts are better than fiction and everything here can more than stand on its own without trying too hard.
• 
  Natalie Tate

  Breathtaking photography with all the minute details of earth's little monsters. The dad jokes in the information section definitely detracted from the photos as did the annoying repetition of facts I'd already heard a page ago.
• 
  Melissa

  Even for a person who doesn't care for bugs, I loved looking at the amazing photographs in this book. There was one joke made about lazy dads that I didn't care for, but other than that it has a lot of good information too.
• 
  Edward Sullivan

  An outstanding photographic study of fascinating insects accompanied with engaging, informative text.
• 
  Mrs.Melaugh Melaugh

  Amazing andbeautiful photos, lots of interesting and gross facts.
• 
  PottWab Regional Library

  A
• 
  Alice

  3 stars - insect portraits - fascinating and icky all at once
• 
  Rachel

  The photographs are amazing, lots of little tidbits of information and the text uses a lot of humor.
• 
  Jessica

  I picked up this book expecting the great visual appeal - but didn’t expect the delightfully voicey text!
• 
  Melinda Bender

  Beautiful detailed photographs with facts that will engross the reader.
• 
  Great Books

  Did you know that the colors of insects could be gorgeous? This mini "coffee table" books for kids features "microsculptures" from photographer Levon Biss--8000 or so photographs put together to show amazing detail. Science writer Gregory Mone adds fun and funny facts about each bug.
  
  Reviewer 7
• 
  Alice

  3.75 stars This book was cool but it doesn't make the short list for me! The photography is amazing, but it wasn't all the exciting for me!