Insects

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Thank you for previewing a new book coming in Fall 2024 from Nomad Press!

Our newest set of Picture Book Science books for kids ages 5 to 8 explores adaptations—of plants, microbes, and insects. How do plants manage to grow in such different environments such as deserts and rainforests?

How can some microbes survive without oxygen? Why does the giant swallowtail caterpillar look like bird poop? Adaptation!

Vibrant illustrations accompany a fun narrative about the different ways plants, microbes, and insects have adapted to survive and thrive on planet Earth. Plus, every book in the set includes a hands-on activity designed to encourage all types of learners. Photographs of different species of plants, microbes, and insects and a glossary round out the reading experience to create a full experiential learning adventure that aligns with Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards!

And every book from Nomad Press is paired with a free Classroom Guide, downloadable from our website, nomadpress.net/the-learning-center.

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Sincerely,

Andi Diehn Content Marketing Manager Title: Insect Adaptations: Mouthparts, Mimicry, and Flying Pub date: November 2024 Softcover: 9781647411312, $13.95 Hardcover: 9781647411282, $20.95 eBook: all formats available, $6.99 Specs: 9.5 x 9.5, 32 pages, color interior Reading Level: Ages 5–9 Interest Level: Grades K–4 GRL: N Bisac: JUVENILE NONFICTION / Animals / Insects, Spiders, etc.

OTHER BOOKS IN THE PICTURE BOOK SCIENCE: ADAPTATIONS SET!

ii

Insect

Adaptations

Mouthparts, Mimicry, and

Flying

Andi Diehn

Illustrated by Lex Cornelliii

EXPLORE MORE PICTURE BOOK ADAPTATIONS!

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Nomad Press A division of Nomad Communications 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Copyright © 2024 by Nomad Press. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review or for limited educational use. The trademark “Nomad Press” and the Nomad Press logo are trademarks of Nomad Communications, Inc. ISBN Softcover: 978-1-64741-131-2 ISBN Hardcover: 978-1-64741-128-2 Educational Consultant, Marla Conn Questions regarding the ordering of this book should be addressed to Nomad Press PO Box 1036, Norwich, VT 05055 www.nomadpress.net Printed in the United States.

Poem Poem Springing! Flying! Munching! Hiding!

Insects are everywhere, but they can be easy to miss.

They’re masters of disguise, Shapes and colors blending into their environment.

They’re fast, Moving on quick legs and whizzing through the air.

They’re small, Folding tiny bodies into cracks and crevices.

They’re many, Outnumbering humans and all other species.

What kinds of insects are crawling around you right now?

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Have you ever seen a grasshopper jumping up from tall grass?

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Those must be some pretty strong jumping legs!

Long, springlike legs

are an adaptation that helps

grasshoppers survive in their habitat.

Those legs let them

leap away from danger or take off in flight.

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Adaptation means fitting into an environment to survive.

For example, some insects have wings so they can fly around.

Others have strong jaws to chew their food.

Insects with traits that help them

survive live long enough to pass down

these characteristics to their offspring.

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Because the offspring have the same characteristics as their parents, they are the ones to survive.

As time passes, the characteristics that don’t help with survival appear less and less often.

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Mimicry is another adaptation we can see in the insect world.

The giant swallowtail caterpillar hangs out on the tops of leaves, but it’s

not green like many other caterpillars that use camouflage to hide from predators.

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What do frogs order when they go to a restaurant?

French Flies!

The giant swallowtail caterpillar is WHITE and BLACK, but lots of predators avoid it because it looks like . . .

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BIRD POOP!

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You can bet that

predators like wasps and flies aren’t

going near that!

While the giant swallowtail caterpillar looks like a

yucky substance to avoid getting eaten, the stick

insect does the opposite.

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It has adapted to look like its surroundings–sticks!

Stick insects—also called walking sticks— are GRAYISH BROWN in color.

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Their bodies and legs are long and twiggy.

Some kinds of stick insects even walk with a swaying motion that mimics a stick being blown in a breeze.

Stick insects adapted to their

woody environments by adopting

a shape and color that helps camouflage them from predators.

Can you spot the stick insects in this picture?

Who comes to a picnic but is never invited?

Ants!

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You can also see adaptation at work when you take a closer look at how certain insects eat.

Butterflies have a looooong mouthpart

called a proboscis that’s perfect for sucking up nectar, water, and juice from

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flowers and fruits.

When they’re hungry, butterflies stick out their proboscis,

have a yummy liquid meal, and then curl the proboscis back on their faces.

What did the dog say to the flea?

Stop bugging me!

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That’s a very different way of eating from beetles.

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Beetles have mouthparts called mandibles that are perfect for chewing.

Mandibles move sideways,

crushing up leaves, roots, and seeds.

Some insects have more than one kind of mouthpart!

Honeybees have a probiscis for sucking up nectar and mandibles for chewing pollen.

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Insects are pretty small, right?

Even the ones that seem huge

such as the white witch moth are tiny compared to most other animals.

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One tool some insects use to increase their chances of survival is flight.

Have you ever had a mosquito land on you, or watched a lightning bug flash around at night, or noticed a dragonfly come to rest on a long piece of grass?

All these insects

fly to get around— and to get away!

What do you call a nervous beetle?

A jitter-bug!

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Insects have developed wings that let them zip away from

predators, zoom around in search of something to eat, and explore their

surroundings to find places to rest.

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And it’s not just wings that are necessary for flight.

A small, lightweight body is essential! Maybe

that’s why you don’t see a whole lot of elephants flying across the sky! They would need

enormous wings to carry all that weight.

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Living creatures adapt so they can

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eat,

drink,

avoid being eaten,

and reproduce.

How does adaptation help insects with reproduction?

One way many kinds of insects have adapted is by having lots of babies.

The African driver ant can lay 3 to 4 million eggs every 25 days!

Even if many of the eggs

don’t survive, there will

still be lots of babies.

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These African driver ants travel in armies of millions along the

forest floor and eat everything in their path, including snakes,

birds, and

other animals.

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They work together to get jobs done!

Why did the queen bee go to the doctor?

She had hives!

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Hey! That’s another adaptation, one that people share.

Many insects colonies work together to do greater things than any one individual can accomplish.

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For example, there are termites that create towering mounds where the colony lives.

People build towns and cities where they live, work, and play, just like termites build their mounds.

What do you call a beetle that’s bad at football?

A fumble-bee!

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All around the world, insects are adapting to changes in their environments. As the

climate changes and different areas warm up or cool down, insects are figuring out how to survive and thrive!

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What are some adaptations

you notice in the insects

around you?

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Activity Time!

Eat Your Snack with a Probiscis!

What You Need

several plates - one straw for every person water - Jello or pudding - cereal - crackers berries - other snack foods

What You Do

• Place the water and foods onto separate plates.

• Each scientist gets their own straw.

• Try using your straw to eat the crackers. What happens?

• Use your straw to eat the berries. What happens?

• Use the straw to drink the water. What happens?

• Try eating all the different kinds of food with your straw.

• Use a spoon to eat the parts of your snack that didn’t fit in your straw!

Think About It! Which food is easiest to suck up into your mouth? Why? What does this show you about the different ways insects eat?

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Fun Facts A bee might fly up to 60 miles in one day as it gathers food.

Some insects replace their body water with a chemical called glycerol that keeps their bodies from freezing during cold months.

About 1.5 million different insect species have been named around the world.

Fruit flies were the first living creatures to be sent into space.

Mosquitos are attracted to smelly feet!

Grasshoppers existed before dinosaurs!

Houseflies have feet that are about 10 million times more sensitive than human tongues.

Ants can carry more than 50 times their own weight.

Some species of moth can live underwater for weeks without coming up for air, making them the first-known amphibious insects.

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Glossary adaptation: a change that a living thing makes to become better suited to its environment.

camouflage: the colors or patterns that allow a

plant or animal to blend in with its environment.

characteristic: a feature or quality. climate: the weather patterns in an area during a long period of time.

environment: the area in which something lives. habitat: the natural area where a plant or animal lives. mandible: in some insects, a strong biting mouthpart. mimicry: looking like or acting like something else. offspring: the young of a plant, insect, or animal. predator: an animal that hunts and eats other animals.

proboscis: the sucking mouthpart of insects such as butterflies and bees.

reproduction: the way animals and plants have offspring, or babies.

species: a group of plants or animals that are closely related and produce offspring.

trait: a characteristic.

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focus on science CHILDREN’S NONFICTION PICTURE BOOK AGES: 5–8 • GUIDED READING LEVEL: TBD

How do insects survive in different environments?

Insects are masters of adaptation!

Insect Adaptations: Mouthparts, Mimicry, and Flying introduces young entomologists to the wild world of insect adaptations.

Grasshoppers bound on their long, springlike legs to escape predators in the tall grass. The giant swallowtail caterpillar avoids being eaten by looking like poop.

But stick insects blend in with their surroundings so no one even sees them!

Scientific concepts including biological evolution, heredity, and ecology come clear with engaging illustrations and lots of amazing examples!

Insect Adaptations: Mouthparts, Mimicry, and Flying is part of an eight-book set of Picture Book Science books designed to introduce young scientists to environmental science.

Distributed by Baker & Taylor Publisher Services To order: orders@btpubservices.com, 888.814.0208 For more information about these books, contact Nomad Press: info@nomadpress.net, 802.649.1995

Check out more books on ADAPTATIONS!

PUB DATE: November 2024

PB: 9781647411312, $13.95 HC: 9781647411282, $20.95 eBook: all formats available, $6.99 Specs: 9 ½ x 9½, 32 pages, color interior with illustrations Reading Level: Ages 5–8 Interest Level: Grades K–2 Publicity & Marketing: Co-op funds available Major national galley mailing Amazon Merchandising program National trade advertising, including: - Publisher’s Weekly - Booklist - School Library Journal

Praise for other Picture Book Science books by Andi Diehn “The combination of humor and everyday experiences make this an enjoyable introduction to simple machines for primary grades.”

—School Library Journal