Bugs and Bugsicles: Insects in the Winter

The secret world of insects revealed. Every fall, insects disappear. And every spring, they return. Where do they go? The dragonfly dies, leaving its young safe in the muddy bottom of a stream. The monarch butterfly sails the air to dry mountains in Mexico. And the Arctic woolly bear caterpillar becomes a "bugsicle"—it freezes solid, then thaws out to live another day. The honeybee, praying mantis, field cricket, ladybug, and pavement ant also use awe-inspiring tricks to outwit the killing frosts of winter. The author and illustrator re-create the insects' movements and reveal their secrets in this winner of the John Burroughs Nature Books for Young Readers Award. Experiments reinforce key concepts.

Amy S. Hansen has written twelve books for children, most of them about the science of everyday life. In addition, she has written for several children's magazines, including Highlights for Children, Cricket, Ask, and Click. Her electronic encyclopedia, Earth Explorer, received a Parents' Choice Award from the Parents' Choice Foundation. She lives in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Robert C. Kray is an artist and illustrator whose depictions of wildlife have been published and recognized nationally. His illustrations have been published by the National Wildlife Federation and in Outdoor Life, Sports Afield, Reader's Digest, Highlights for Children, and others. He lives in Mountaintop, Pennsylvania.