Waiting for Wings

Amazon.com

Lois Ehlert, beloved illustrator of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and many other bold, beautiful picture books has outdone herself with this gorgeous (seriously breathtaking) celebration of butterfly metamorphosis. "Out in the fields, eggs are hidden from view, / clinging to leaves with butterfly glue. / Soon caterpillars hatch. They creep and chew. / Each one knows what it must do." As the gentle rhyme unfolds, we turn the small, partial pages that form the larger spread of fabulous foliage in this lush, oversized book. Before our eyes, the eggs turn to caterpillars, the caterpillars to cases, the cases to lovely butterflies. "They pump their wings, get ready to fly, then hungry butterflies head for the sky." The colors become increasingly dazzling, each butterfly springing to life with Ehlert's color-soaked cut-paper magic. Several pages of background material conclude the book, labeling different kinds of butterflies at different stages of development, from the buckeye butterfly to the painted lady to the monarch. A "Butterfly Information" page clearly labels butterfly anatomy and answers basic question about these fascinating fluttery insects, a "Flower Identification" page showcases butterfly-attracting flowers such as the purple coneflower (echinacea), phlox, and lantana, and the last page offers a few pointers on growing a butterfly garden. (Ages 3 to 6) --Karin Snelson

Book Description

Every spring, butterflies emerge and dazzle the world with their vibrant beauty. But where do butterflies come from? How are they born? What do they eat--and how?
With a simple, rhyming text and glorious color-drenched collage, Lois Ehlert provides clear answers to these and other questions as she follows the life cycle of four common butterflies, from their beginnings as tiny hidden eggs and hungry caterpillars to their transformation into full-grown butterflies. Complete with butterfly and flower facts and identification tips, as well as a guide to planting a butterfly garden, this butterfly book is like no other.

Customer Reviews:

Art"full" Wings........2007-06-29

Lois Ehlert takes you on a colorful, intriguing story about the life cycle of a butterfly. Excellent for art students at any level! Text is simple enough for preschoolers and can be enjoyed through the elementary grades. Enjoy this exciting trip through nature and its wonders!

But Where do Caterpillars Come From?.......2006-09-12

This is a beautiful and very clever book. Pages are cocooned within larger pages, with individual illustrations blending seamlessly into the background illustrations. Like the natural world itself, this book rewards the patient observer, with rich details on the surface and others folded in more subtly. Your kids will be focused in on a little book within the big book, as the caterpillar goes on its journey. It makes the launch to the story within the bigger background pages all the more dynamic, striking as the shift from Kansas to Oz.

It starts with the eggs "hidden from view,/ clinging to leaves with butterfly glue." As we turn the pages of a little book enshrouded in the bigger book, we see the caterpillars hatch, "each one knows what it must do," and we follow the path to metamorphosis. Ultimately, the reader will be rewarded with multiple beautiful butterflies launching up towards the sky, a nice Lepidopterian metaphor for the developmental adventures in store for our little ones. It's a good job of story-telling when we know exactly where the story is going but still find ourselves awestruck.

Finally, as if Ms. Ehlert hadn't done enough, we get several pages at the end on butterfly identification, with information on colors, wingspans shown in actual size, the corresponding caterpillars that precede the butterflies, and the like. We get flower information, and then tips on growing your own butterfly garden. Nice stuff.

Get this book, drill it for a few night-night times, and then take your toddlers to a butterfly pavilion to see the real deal. Good times.

Color,color,color!.......2006-03-20

As usual, Lois Ehlert stimulates and educates the young reader about the mysteries of caterpillars to butterflies. Not only are the colors absolutely stunning, she provides factual information about different species. This book was a fabulous preparation for my classroom of small children as they watched their own caterpillars prepare for their magical transformation!

A Life's Journey.......2005-07-27

Waiting for Wings is a picture book showing the life cycle of a butterfly. The story uses tantalizing pictures and simple words to explain how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. The book takes the reader through the stages of the caterpillar's life. Once the caterpillar has become a butterfly the story changes to how a butterfly lives its life. The illustrations pull the reader into this book. The print is large and easy to read for young reader. The text also rhymes for two pages at a time. As the caterpillar grows the pages become larger, until the butterfly hatches. As the butterfly begins its flight the pages are full size. The illustrations and page sizes are wonderful for young readers. This book also contains identification pages on butterflies and the flowers they eat.

Toddlers and Babies, too!.......2004-05-24

I have a three year old daughter who must be read to before sleeping. I also have a three month old baby girl who is often in the bed with us while we read. Often, the baby is restless and cries before we finish our books. Waiting for Wings is a fabulous solution. I find this interesting AND educational for my toddler. In addition, the colors are bright and contrasting, allowing my baby to be entertained while the book is read.

Disney's Little Einsteins: Butterfly Suits (Disney's Little Einsteins)

Average customer rating:

Colorful Book About Metamorphosis
Disney's Little Einsteins:Butterfly Suits
Disney's Little Einsteins: Butterfly Suits (Disney's Little Einsteins)
Butterflies
Ridiculous in the extreme

Disney's Little Einsteins: Butterfly Suits (Disney's Little Einsteins)
Marcy Kelman
Manufacturer: Disney Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: B000MV8HTS

Book Description

This Little Einsteins adventure begins with a hungry caterpillar!Annie explains to the team that Caterpillar needs to go to the Tree of Many Colors in order to get a brand-new outfit. But when their tiny friend misses his ride to the tree, its up to Leo, Quincy, Annie, and June to make certain he gets there safe and sound. Once they get him there, the team is thrilled to discover that Caterpillars new outfit turns him into a monarch butterfly!Stunning real-life photos accompanied by easy-to-understand text help children experience the magic of this fascinating marvel of nature.

Customer Reviews:

Colorful Book About Metamorphosis.......2007-10-09

Using the Van Gogh painting Wheat Fields in the Cypresses, Butterfly Suits is a hardcover Little Einsteins book about the metamorphosis of a monarch butterfly caterpillar and his journey to get a new "suit". As an added bonus, this book has 17 full-color stickers on the inside back cover!

My son got this book for his birthday a few weeks ago, and read it to his grandparents after he opened all the gifts. They (and he) loved the book!

The text encourages singing, too, as well as visual recognition and counting. The best part, for me, is that it's a science and art lesson combined!

If your child enjoys the Little Einsteins series, this is a great book for kids aged 5 and up. (While the pictures are great for all ages, the text and topic seem geared to older children).

Disney's Little Einsteins:Butterfly Suits.......2007-09-29

My grand-son is delighted to know about the immersion of a butterfly.Each time we read the book to him he seems mesmerized by the story and asks many questions.What an interesting way to explain nature!

Disney's Little Einsteins: Butterfly Suits (Disney's Little Einsteins).......2007-09-04

Okay, I rate this book as okay. ONLY okay. I'm not on the "ridiculous" soapbox, but I am disappointed. I agree that most Little Einstein books are excellent. We also enjoy the shows. Further, it's a cartoon designed to educate AND entertain. Little Einsteins does all of this. BUT, and perhaps it is because I am used to such high standards from Little Einsteins, Butterfly Suits DOES fall short of what I'd expect. Monarch Butterfly caterpillars eat milkweed. ONLY milkweed. (I must admit, I'd not have bought the book if my daughter hadn't removed two of the stickers from the back and applied them to her shirt... Lesson there!) I just thought that monarch butterflies eating milkweed was just like--common knowledge. I like what the book does cover with the metamorphosis, that he rides in a truck is okay. AGAIN, it is fantasy, and this is an element that the kids can differentiate as such, but the fact that the catterpillar is eating a fall elm tree seems misleading. Couldn't he have just gone to the colorful musical milkweed plant instead, with flowers around instead of fall trees? And one more nit-picky thing: if they were taking the caterpillar in Rocket to the tree, why is he not in the Rocket picture? My 3-year-old looked all over the pages for him--and was disappointed. Bottom line, they go to so much trouble to do it right usually, that I was just shocked that they missed the target on this one. Buy a different LE book.

Butterflies.......2007-08-03

This book is a delightful blend of science facts and appealing illustrations.The Little Einsteins' interacting with real photographs of the life stages of butterflies both teach and entertain.

Ridiculous in the extreme.......2007-07-17

This book is ridiculous. The story is about some strange kids helping a caterpillar get to the Musical tree of Many Colors via pickup truck and space ship. Huh? Then the caterpillar turns into a butterfly in the normal fashion. The kids learn about this transformation in a space ship. In an attempt to be educational, a Van Gogh painting appears for no apparent reason. It appears to have been written by a committee. "Hey, I know, we can have a bug and a truck!" "Yeah, and a space ship!" "How about some art? Who's a famous artist?" It makes no sense.

If your child would be interested in learning about metamorphosis, you can find lots of good books that don't confuse the subject by requiring the caterpillar to need human (and alien) assistance to get to the right plant. Plus, the biology of this book is all wrong. The caterpillar shown grows on a milkweed plant in the spring, not a mushroom, as shown. Caterpillars don't eat dried yellow maple leaves as the kids feed the one in the story; they eat milkweed leaves. They don't need to move from the milkweed anywhere, and especially not to a maple tree in fall colors, and definitely not in the bed of a pickup truck driven by another caterpillar or by an alien ship manned by someone named Rocket. The butterfly is not a caterpillar in a brand-new outfit, as one of the characters asserts. The whole thing is just wrong.

Personally, I think it's absurd to take what is a magical story and make it bizarre and unrealistic in an attempt to entertain kids so much that they don't notice they're learning. Why not just tap into the natural desire children have to learn? I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.

Dragonfly Genera of the World: An Illustrated and Annotated Key to the Anisoptera

Average customer rating:

Excellent book!

Dragonfly Genera of the World: An Illustrated and Annotated Key to the Anisoptera
Rosser W. Garrision
Manufacturer: Johns Hopkins University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0801884462

Book Description

Dragonfly Genera of the New World is a beautifully illustrated and comprehensive guide to the taxonomy and ecology of dragonflies in North, Middle, and South America. A reference of the highest quality, this book reveals the striking beauty and complexity of this diverse order.

Although Odonata -- dragonflies and damselflies -- are among the most studied groups of insects, until now there has been no reliable means to identify the New World genera of either group. This volume provides fully illustrated and up-to-date keys for all dragonfly genera with descriptive text for each genus, accompanied by distribution maps and 1,595 diagnostic illustrations, including wing patterns and characteristics of the genitalia.

For entomologists, limnologists, and ecologists, Dragonfly Genera of the New World is an indispensable resource for field identification and laboratory research.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent book!.......2007-06-14

I am a professional entomologist and dragonfly enthusaist and bought this book after I got an advertisement for it in the mail. I love this book! While there are other books on North American dragonflies (such as Needham, Westfall, and May's Dragonflies of North America) that help identify North American specimens to species, there hasn't ever been a book that allows Central and South American dragonfly lovers and scientists to do the same. This book goes a long way toward filling the gap with keys to all of the genera of the New World dragonflies. It is filled with great drawings illustrating the key structural characteristics listed in the keys and contains several full color photographic images. It is organized well and beautifully laid out. I believe this book will prove invaluable to scientists studying Central and South American dragonflies. It is a great contribution to the odonate literature - the authors should be proud of themselves for creating such a masterpiece.

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Bees
Rudolf Steiner
Manufacturer: Steiner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0880104570

Book Description

In 1923 Rudolf Steiner predicted the dire state of the honeybee today. He said that, within fifty to eighty years, we would see the consequences of mechanizing the forces that had previously operated organically in the beehive. Such practices include breeding queen bees artificially.

The fact that over sixty percent of the American honeybee population has died during the past ten years, and that this trend is continuing around the world, should make us aware of the importance of the issues discussed in these lectures. Steiner began this series of lectures on bees in response to a question from an audience of workers at the Goetheanum.

From physical depictions of the daily activities of bees to the most elevated esoteric insights, these lectures describe the unconscious wisdom of the beehive and its connection to our experience of health, culture, and the cosmos.

Bees is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the true nature of the honeybee, as well as those who wish to heal the contemporary crisis of the beehive. Bees includes an essay by David Adams From Queen Bee to Social Sculpture: The Artistic Alchemy of Joseph Beuys.

Book Description

The economic importance of Tortricidae in agriculture and forestry is great: crops and forests in the temperate climatic zones suffer considerable loss due to this lepidopterous family. This volume covers the entire spectrum from taxonomy, morphology and physiology to chemical and biological control. It will provide an opening to the scientifc literature on Tortricidae for scientists in research institutions, universities and experimental stations. The indices include entries for synonyms referring to the species names used in this volume.

The Secret Garden: Dawn to Dusk in the Astonishing Hidden World of the Garden

Average customer rating:

Great for any of your gardening friends!

The Secret Garden: Dawn to Dusk in the Astonishing Hidden World of the Garden
David Bodanis
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0671663534

Customer Reviews:

Great for any of your gardening friends!.......2001-11-28

This is a great Chrstimas present for any of you who have gardening friends. I loved it! It's also a great coffee table book.

Tadpole's Promise (Bccb Blue Ribbon Picture Book Awards (Awards))

Average customer rating:

4-year-old's favorite!
Not for kids under 4 or 5
I didn't expect THAT ending
July 2006 Lazy Readers' Book Club selection [...]
brave and funny

Tadpole's Promise (Bccb Blue Ribbon Picture Book Awards (Awards))
Jeanne Willis
Manufacturer: Atheneum/Anne Schwartz Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0689865244

Book Description

Where the willow tree meets the water, a tadpole met a caterpillar.

They gazed into each other's tiny eyes...and fell in love.

"I love everything about you," said the caterpillar.

"Promise you'll never change." And foolishly the tadpole promised...

But we all know that tadpoles don't stay the same, and neither do caterpillars.

Will they still be able to love each other?

Customer Reviews:

4-year-old's favorite!.......2007-10-01

This is my 4-year-old daughter's favorite book. She loves to read it with mom or dad and just laugh and laugh at the ending. I found her the other night reciting (from memory) the book while lying in bed.

The illustrations are inviting, with a humorous "side story" evolving (so to speak) in pictures at the bottom of the pages. The writing is concise and flows nicely.

My daughter is a nature lover, and we have always been open with her about the circle of life. This mild and funny book has a twist of an ending that apparently offends parents who prefer to shield their children from the reality of nature. However, [spoiler alert] a watercolor frog eating a watercolor butterfly is hardly graphic and, in fact, in the context of this great book is rather hilarious.

Not for kids under 4 or 5.......2007-07-13

Like many others have said, my daughter was shocked by the ending and pretty disturbed. We got the book after having seen real tadpoles in a stream while on vacation. I read the first half of the book, but didn't make it to the end until she and I read it together at bedtime. She was mortified that the frog ate his friend. I can certainly see how this book might appeal to older kids, and the artwork is very nice, but it's just not for little ones.

I didn't expect THAT ending.......2007-02-28

A caterpillar and a tadpole promise not to change when they fall in love. Just like real life, change happens. Find out the surprise ending and enjoy the repetition along the way.

July 2006 Lazy Readers' Book Club selection [...].......2006-07-28

I absolutely love this book and cannot recommend it highly enough for all ages, as it tells the amusing tale of a caterpillar and tadpole who fall in love and promise one another to never change. The caterpillar becomes annoyed when her beloved tadpole develops into a frog, but she goes through some changes of her own. One of the most gratifying endings of any children's book I've read recently, and a useful book for those of us who still try to incorporate a little science into school. A MUST READ! To view this and other cool short book recommendations, visit the Lazy Readers' Book Club at [...]

brave and funny.......2006-03-02

The tadpole and the caterpillar are best friends, and promise never to change. The caterpillar is aghast and hurt when the tadpole becomes a frog, and the frog doesn't even recognize his true love when she becomes a beautiful butterfly.

[SPOILER ALERT] But, through a miracle, they realize what has happened and fall in love again...in a deeper, more mature, accepting affection... NOT! The frog gobbles up the butterfly in one happy gulp!

What a relief to see a book that acknowledges that some promises were not ever possible to keep, whatever the good intentions, and how refreshing to see a story about animals that accepts who eats whom. The first time I read it, I was horrified that this book, which cleverly lured me into a little metaphor for relationships, trust, and acceptance so violently jarred me into reality. A few
re-readings and I was in admiration, and then I was laughing.
I believe that kids,
who are a bloodthirsty group in general, will laugh, too.

Average customer rating:

The Bees of the Worldýa must-have book
Bees of the World--A definative work

The Bees of the World
Charles Duncan Michener
Manufacturer: Johns Hopkins Univ Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0801861330

Book Description

The Bees of the World is the definitive reference work on the apiformes. Written by Charles D. Michener, the world's leading authority on bee systematics, The Bees of the World is the only comprehensive, worldwide treatment of all groups of bees -- 1,200 genera and subgenera, including more than 16,000 species.

In extensive introductory sections, Michener examines the evolution of bees from wasps, the relations of the families of bees to one another, the evolution of bees in relation to that of flowering plants, the nesting behavior of solitary and social bees, and the structure of immature and adult bees. Drawing on these considerations as well as the fossil record, he speculates on the attributes of the protobee, the common ancestor of all bees. He also cites the major literature on bee biology and describes the need for further research on the systematics and natural history of bees, including their importance as pollinators of crops and natural vegetation. The greater part of the work consists of an unprecedented treatment of bee systematics, with keys (many of them regional) for identification to the subgenus level. For each genus or subgenus, Michener includes a brief natural history describing geographical range, number of species, and noteworthy information pertaining to nesting or floral biology.

The work is beautifully illustrated with 48 color photos of bees, and more than 500 black and white drawings and photographs that depict behavior, detailed morphology, and ecology."At least since the time of Aristotle people have been interested in bees because they are fascinating creatures. We are social animals; some bees are also social. Their interactions and communications, which make their colonial life function, have long been matters of interest; we wonder how a tiny brain can react appropriately to societal problems similar to those also faced by other social animals, such as humans." -- from The Bees of the World

Customer Reviews:

The Bees of the Worldýa must-have book.......2002-09-14

Anybody with a serious interest in bees -- and by that I don't mean just honey bees and beekeeping, but the thousands of other species that provide the fundamental service of pollination in both natural and agricultural ecosystems -- must seriously consider getting this book. It will be an invaluable resource for both those studying insects and those studying plants, for plant conservation is intimately wrapped up with the survival of their pollinators.

This is a magnum opus in both senses of the word. It is a big book, with over 900 pages, containing a wealth of information on bees. It is also a product of over half a century's research and learning by the world's foremost authority on bees, Charles Michener. His efforts, and those of the subsequent generations of researchers spawned from his lab at the University of Kansas, have been the foundation of our current state of bee knowledge.

At first glance, the book might appear intimidating: a heavy tome printed in a small font size, with black-and-white diagrams. The only respite seems to be a series of gorgeous color plates featuring the amazing photos of Edward S. Ross and Paul Westrich. A few minutes with it will quickly show you that it is a rich source of accurate information, and despite its technical content, well written and readable.

Broken into a series of sections, it provides complete coverage of bees and their biology. The first is a general discussion of bee biology (nesting, floral relationships, parasites, sociality, etc.); the second, explains the structure of bees and their origins; the third, bee taxonomy; and the fourth, (the bulk of the book) contains keys to identify bees and chapters on each family or subfamily with notes on each genera (distribution, floral preference, if any, etc.). This is accompanied by an extensive bibliography and reference list. This book will not only help you understand the ecological requirements of bees but also enable you to identify them to sub-genus level.

The price might deter you; it certainly gave me pause for thought. Having finally taken the plunge and purchased a copy I have no qualms at all about the expense. This is an astonishing work of scholarship. To have so much information gathered into one volume is invaluable. This is likely to remain the standard work of reference for many years.

Matthew Shepherd
Pollinator Program Director, The Xerces Society

Bees of the World--A definative work.......2000-09-01

If you work on bees, you will need to get a copy of Mich's Bees of the World. There is no way around it.

Some 16,000 bee species are placed to genus, and the indentification guides (keys and illustrations) are the best yet.

Book Description

"A name is forever, or at least as long as taxonomy continues," Barry Bolton writes, and here are all the names, antique and modern, of all the ants that are or ever were--from the arctic to the tropical, the fossilized to the living, the mislabeled to the newly christened members of the family Formicidae. For every name that has ever been applied to ants, the book supplies a history and an account of current usage, together with a fully documented indication of the present-day classification. Its comprehensive bibliography provides references to original description, synonymy, homonymy, changes in rank, status, and availability, and alterations in generic status.

Organized by family group, genus group, and species group, this meticulously detailed but easily used volume is the ultimate resource for myrmecology. Along with Bolton's Identification Guide to the Ant Genera of the World, it will be the essential reference for anyone, expert or amateur, with an interest in ants.

An Eighth Air Force Combat Diary: Combat Missions Flown with the 100th Bomb Group, England 1944-1945

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An Eighth Air Force Combat Diary

An Eighth Air Force Combat Diary: Combat Missions Flown with the 100th Bomb Group, England 1944-1945
John A. Clark
Manufacturer: First Page Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1928623050

Book Description

Fly with 1st Lt. John A. Clark in the cockpit of the famous B-17 "Flying Fortress" during his 32 bombing missions over Germany in WWII. Experience the terror of flying at 28,000 feet amidst enemy flak and fighter planes during the winter of 1944-1945. Lt. Clark flew as the co-pilot of a "fFlying Fortress" with "The Bloody Hundreth", the famous 100th Bomb Group of the Eighth Air Force. After each of his missions, Lt. Clark recorded a diary describing his combat experience. These diaries are being published for the first time in over 60 years. His unfolding stories provide a realistic and chilling account of aerial combat in the brutal air war over Europe. Several "war stories", all true, provide additional drama and a little humor to this firsthand account of this WWII combat pilot. Witness the remarkable photographs from the authors personal collection that tell and show the story of near misses from flak and the dramatic dropping of 500 pound bombs on German targets during heavy German counter attacks with flak and fighter bombers.

Customer Reviews:

An Eighth Air Force Combat Diary.......2001-11-20

This book is written by a Co-pilot of the 418th Bomb Squadron, 100th Bomb Group based at Thorpe Abbotts, England.

It is his diary of 32 combat missions during the European Theatre of Operations September 1944 to March 1945.

I found this excellently detailed as it was written at the time.
It describes his training as a pilot in the US, the Trans-Atlantic flight in a B-17 from Lincoln, Nebraska to Valley, Wales and flying combat missions over Germany.

Each mission description starts with a copy of his briefing notes which detail engine start, taxi and take off times, target name, altitude formation and callsigns for fighter escorts! Also a newspaper clipping from that day the mission was flown.

Copies of John Clark's combat flight log are included towards the end of the book.

This book is full of photographs never before published; taken of the formations of B-17s streching endlessly across the sky with streaming contrails, the flak clouds over the target, on base scenes of nissen huts in the fog, frost on the trees, aircraft sitting on their hardstands in the early morning mist, and photographs of the crews.

When reading this book, you can visualize everything that is happening, emotions are described and felt when and engine is out, when enemy fighters pass through the formation, when flak burst nearby, or finding that there may not be enough fuel to make it home!

After the war in 1962, 1966, and 1987 he returns to the base he once flew from to find it deteriating even more with each visit.

The only remnants in his last visit is the control tower that has now been restored as a museum and a memorial to those who served with the 100th Bomb Group.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in reading personal accounts of World War II.

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