{"id":646,"date":"2019-12-13T03:32:44","date_gmt":"2019-12-13T11:32:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/?p=646"},"modified":"2019-12-12T06:38:46","modified_gmt":"2019-12-12T14:38:46","slug":"insect-superpowers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/insect-superpowers\/","title":{"rendered":"Insect Superpowers"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Insect Superpowers, by Kate Messner; illus. by Jillian Nickell<\/p>\n

80 pages; ages 8 – 12. Chronicle Books, 2019<\/p>\n

The book\u2019s subtitle describes what\u2019s between the covers: 18 Real Bugs that Smash, Zap, Hypnotize, Sting, and Devour! <\/em>So I could not wait to get my hands on a copy (it was released just a few weeks ago).<\/p>\n

In six chapters, Messner presents a diversity of insect superpowers that rival any comic book hero: speed, mimicry, strength, defensive engineering, and the \u201cJaws of Doom\u201d.\u00a0 She devotes an entire chapter to the \u201cMasters of Chemical Weaponry\u201d ~ featuring termites, the bombardier beetle and lubber grasshoppers. Good thing these insects are small, because their superpowers make them mighty.<\/p>\n

\u201cImagine a human-size termite with a goo gun for a face,\u201d writes Messner, \u201cor a beetle the size of a bear that shoots a hot toxic chemical mist from its bottom!\u201d The African bombardier beetle sprays a hot chemical mist from its rear end when threatened. It actually sprays a series of superfast pulses \u2013 about 500 per second \u2013 so it\u2019s like a chemical machine gun, Messner points out. That\u2019s enough to make birds back off.<\/p>\n

What I like about this book: I like graphic-novel style. It\u2019s filled with action: swoops! sluuurps! Chomp! Smack! Slash! Crunch! Pfffr-ffft!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I like the way Messner begins each chapter with an introduction of the insect: common name, scientific name, identification features, size, and superpower. Throughout the short chapter, she presents information in text boxes. She also includes an icon illustrating an arch-enemy for each insect. Total fun!<\/p>\n

Head over to Archimedes Notebook<\/a> for a book about animal farts and some related activities.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

It’s STEM Friday!<\/a> (STEM<\/strong> is S<\/strong>cience, T<\/strong>echnology, E<\/strong>ngineering, and M<\/strong>athematics)<\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 2019 Sue Heavenrich <\/a> All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Insect Superpowers, by Kate Messner; illus. by Jillian Nickell 80 pages; ages 8 – 12. Chronicle Books, 2019 The book\u2019s subtitle describes what\u2019s between the covers: 18 Real Bugs that Smash, Zap, Hypnotize, Sting, and Devour! So I could not wait to get my hands on a copy (it was released just a few weeks … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Insect Superpowers”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-646","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-stem-friday-round-up"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pamhGQ-aq","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1068,"url":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/dr-fauci-how-a-boy-from-brooklyn-became-americas-doctor\/","url_meta":{"origin":646,"position":0},"title":"Dr. Fauci: How a Boy from Brooklyn Became America’s Doctor","author":"Anastasia Suen","date":"July 2, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Dr. Fauci: How a Boy from Brooklyn Became America's Doctor by Kate Messner (Author) and Alexandra Bye (Illustrator) @ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound Booktalk: Before he was Dr. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Anthony Fauci was a curious boy in Brooklyn, delivering prescriptions\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "STEM Friday Round-up"","block_context":{"text":"STEM Friday Round-up","link":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/category\/stem-friday-round-up\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asuen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/drfauci-595x765.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asuen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/drfauci-595x765.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asuen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/drfauci-595x765.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":192,"url":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/beavers-superpower-field-guide\/","url_meta":{"origin":646,"position":1},"title":"Beavers (Superpower Field Guide)","author":"Sue Heavenrich","date":"January 11, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm a sucker for field guides. The\u00a0more, the merrier. This one is a bit different than the others, though. For one thing, this field guide focuses on only one animal - and a mammal, at that. Plus, it highlights superpowers. Who knew beavers have superpowers? Obviously Rachel Poloquin - and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "STEM Friday Round-up"","block_context":{"text":"STEM Friday Round-up","link":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/category\/stem-friday-round-up\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Superpower-field-guide-210x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1023,"url":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/how-to-build-an-insect\/","url_meta":{"origin":646,"position":2},"title":"How to Build an Insect","author":"Anastasia Suen","date":"April 16, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"How to Build an Insect by Roberta Gibson (Author) and Anne Lambelet (Illustrator) @ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound Booktalk: Let's build an insect! In the pages of this book, you\u2019ll find a workshop filled with everything you need, including a head, a thorax, an abdomen, and much more. Try\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "STEM Friday Round-up"","block_context":{"text":"STEM Friday Round-up","link":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/category\/stem-friday-round-up\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asuen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/buildinsect0-595x732.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asuen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/buildinsect0-595x732.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asuen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/buildinsect0-595x732.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":551,"url":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/evelyn-the-adventurous-entomologist\/","url_meta":{"origin":646,"position":3},"title":"Evelyn The Adventurous Entomologist","author":"Sue Heavenrich","date":"October 4, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Evelyn The Adventurous Entomologist: The True Story Of A World-Traveling Bug Hunter by Christine Evans; illus. by Yasmin Imamura 40 pages; ages 5 - 10 The Innovation Press, 2019 \"Back in 1881 when Evelyn Cheesman was born, most people thought girls should be quiet, clean, and covered with lace.\" They\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "STEM Friday Round-up"","block_context":{"text":"STEM Friday Round-up","link":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/category\/stem-friday-round-up\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Evelyn-the-Entomologist-300x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":348,"url":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/you-can-be-an-entomologist\/","url_meta":{"origin":646,"position":4},"title":"You Can Be an Entomologist","author":"Sue Heavenrich","date":"May 3, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"You can be an Entomologist by Dino Martins, PhD 32 Pages; ages 4-8 National Geographic Children\u2019s Books, 2019 Dino grew up loving insects, so he became a scientist who studies insects. All you need to be an insect water is curiosity and patience. Curiosity because once you start watching insects\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "STEM Friday Round-up"","block_context":{"text":"STEM Friday Round-up","link":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/category\/stem-friday-round-up\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/You-can-be-Entomologist-300x234.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":278,"url":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/do-doodlebugs-doodle\/","url_meta":{"origin":646,"position":5},"title":"Do Doodlebugs Doodle?","author":"@roberta3","date":"February 15, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"I was in the mood for something fun and light this morning, so I've highlighted the picture book Do Doodlebugs Doodle? Amazing Insect Facts by Corinne Demas, Artemis Roehrig, and illustrated by Ellen Shi at Wrapped in Foil blog. Overall, Do Doodlebugs Doodle? has a lot of positives going for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "STEM Friday Round-up"","block_context":{"text":"STEM Friday Round-up","link":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/category\/stem-friday-round-up\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/doodlebugs.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/646","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=646"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/646\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":650,"href":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/646\/revisions\/650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=646"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=646"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=646"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}