The Genius of Bugs

Description

A new, fresh take on the world of bugs, inspired by the blockbuster science exhibition Bug Lab, brought to Wellington this summer by Te Papa and Weta Workshop. Illustrated with up-close, dramatic bug photography throughout, The Genius of Bugs is filled with bug tales, facts and figures that showcase bug ingenuity and reveal astounding bug behaviour. Featuring New Zealand and international examples, children will be entranced by these inspiring bugs and remarkable recent discoveries about their genius. Meet a roll call of some of the worlds most incredible bugs from the sneaky portia spider to the killer brain-surgeon jewel wasp, to New Zealands king of the creepies, the weta. Discover amazing bug behaviour around the themes of: fearsome bug weapons; precision engineering; scams and deceptions; awesome teamwork. Has a companion activity book for sale separately. Shortlisted for the 2017 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults in the Elsie Locke Award for Non-Fiction category.

Dr Simon Pollard is a spider biologist and award-winning natural history photographer and writer. He has written and illustrated a number of childrens books in New Zealand and the United States and has twice won the LIANZA Elsie Locke non-fiction book of the year. In 2017 his book was shortlisted for the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. Simon has also been an advisor, scriptwriter and presenter on a number of natural history documentaries, including the BBCs Planet Earth. In 2007 he was awarded the New Zealand Association of Scientists Science Communicator of the Year Award. He is a former curator of Invertebrate Zoology at Canterbury Museum and adjunct associate professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Canterbury.