BUZZ

An appreciative tour of the insect world, with a focus on select members’ notable features and behaviors.

In animated language, Jones profiles 15 six-legged “heroes”—from the “Hero of Glowing,” better known as the common eastern firefly, to the carpenter ant, or the “Hero of Teamwork”—in order to show off some of the many ways insects have adapted over millions of years to fill various environmental niches. Along with repeatedly noting that people across the world dine on these creatures (many are “high in protein and have a low environmental impact”), he also points to significant historical connections between bugs and humans, such as an 8,000-year-old wall painting of a human figure collecting honey produced by wild bees; he also spotlights the grain weevil, which once subsisted entirely on stored wheat and no longer even exists in the wild. Meadows’ artfully posed, accurately detailed images of insects in various stages of development, usually identified by scientific species labels, crawl or flit in profusion across the pages. Though the author offers no leads to further information beyond a handful of websites, he suggests that readers really need only get down on hands and knees to “discover the tiny creatures that keep the world running.” “Trust me,” he writes. “I’m an entomologist!”

Amiable and, like the creepy-crawlies themselves, easy to digest.