Simple science text and dramatic illustrations give a close-up view of the fascinating world of the dung beetle. When an animal lightens its load, dung beetles race to the scene. They battle over, devour, hoard, and lay their eggs in the precious poop. Dung is food, drink, and fuel for new life--as crucial to these beetles as the beetles are to many habitats, including our own.
Back matter includes instructions for finding dung beetles, fun facts, glossary, and a selected bibliography.
Alan Marks began his career illustrating for magazines and newspapers in England. His first children's book Storm, written by Kevin Crossley Holland, won the Carnegie Medal. Alan now illustrates a wide variety of subjects, from nursery rhymes to war poetry. He is the illustrator of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book A Mother's Journey, Behold the Beautiful Dung Beetle, Planet Zoo, The Spirit of the Forest, Little Lost Bat, and more. Alan lives in an old house in the Kent countryside with his wife and two daughters.