Douglas J. Emlen

This slim nonfiction chapter book starts out as a scientific examination of the biology and evolution of beetles, but then expands into a much wider exploration of weaponry and evolution.

Emlen begins by taking readers through his scientific journey as a young student studying beetles in the jungle. He was fascinated by the horns and weapons of various beetles and, after an abortive search for one species, settled down to study dung beetles in Panama. His pivotal discoveries included the use of beetle horns as well as the way beetles with no horns or small horns "cheated" to win against the bigger, more heavily-weaponed beetles.

From this biological beginning, Emlen goes on to consider how weaponry is used in other species, including humans. He shows how his studies into the rise and fall of weaponry in beetles, and other animals, could be used in the study of human weaponry. The last few chapters explore the growth, design, and pitfalls of human arms races and how they can be compared to the animal world. The story comes full-circle as Emlen revisits his original study site in Panama with his children.

This isn't exactly a young reader's edition, more of a companion volume to Emlen's 2014 adult book, Animal Weapons. Back matter includes an epilogue, author's note of further reading and resources, photo credits and index.

I'm trying to keep a balance between high-interest, low-level nonfiction, which is the backbone of our juvenile nonfiction collection, and more challenging, high-reading level narrative nonfiction. About one-third of my nonfiction circulation is teacher requests, and I've seen, especially over the past few years, that kids simple can't read the more challenging books. However, I do have individuals and some teachers ask for the more challenging nonfiction. One teacher visits from almost an hour away to browse and make selections for her class from our nonfiction collection! Nonfiction is a personal interest for me as well and I'm dedicated to making sure I have a wide range of topics and reading levels.

Verdict: While this is fairly challenging as far as vocabulary and concepts, and readers will need to have a high level of comprehension to follow the reasoning and how the different subjects fit together, it's also fascinating, full of interesting information and anecdotes, and a mix of subjects that will appeal to a wide readership. It's less than 200 pages, so although the text is pretty dense it's not as intimidating as it might be. This won't be for every collection, but for high-level 5th grade readers on up, especially those with an interest in science and the military, this will be of great interest.

ISBN: 9781250147110; Published December 2019 by Roaring Brook; Purchased for the library… (mais)

I received this book for free from the GoodReads first reads program in exchange for an honest review.

[b: Animal Weapons: The Evolution of Battle|20696035|Animal Weapons The Evolution of Battle|Douglas J. Emlen|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1396821719s/20696035.jpg|40015556] by [a: Douglas J. Emlen|7811274|Douglas J. Emlen|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1409067528p2/7811274.jpg] is a delightful enlightening read. [a: Douglas J. Emlen|7811274|Douglas J. Emlen|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1409067528p2/7811274.jpg] focuses on many unusual animals, rather than focusing upon the typical big cats, wild dogs, and dinosaurs. The main thrust of his book is the insects - beetles, flies, and other such forgotten creatures litter the pages with their bizarre adaptations and startlingly complex behavior. The times when the author is writing about these are the best part of the book - he thrives in descriptions of the unusual, and the pages fly by.

The book never became boring, but the transitions were largely bizarre to me, which in turn affected some of my enjoyment. While I agree that there are rather clear parallels between human weapon development and animal evolution - and that the case presented was a good one - I think it was clumsily written. Transitions could have been handled better, but overall that wasn't so jarring as to heavily impact my rating of the book.

In spite of the small gripe in terms of transitions, the book was wonderful. The contents were fascinating, the arguments presented well thought out, and the illustrations provided by [a: David J. Tuss] truly stunning. The illustrations, two of which adorn the cover, are fantastic and playfully done without sacrificing detail or scientific accuracy.

A good pop-sci read on an unusual topic.… (mais)

Postulates and defends three criteria for arms races to escalate towards (proportionately) massive/extreme weapons: 1) Competition: for breeding rights - the longer it takes a female, or a male in rare cases, to incubate and raise the next generation then recoup - the more badass one has to be to prevail; 2) Economic Defensibility: if prime food and nesting materials exist in a limited area as opposed to being spread out over a large territory, it is advantageous to be able to first take and then protect a portion of this ideal terrain since the females are sure to come flocking; 3) Duels: if defensibility of this ideal terrain lends itself to one-on-one competition (i.e. a tunnel) then massive weapons are baller mainly because of their strong deterrence abilities (can't breed if you're dead) and of course their advantages during fights. Parallels are drawn bw examples throughout the animal kingdom and human military history. Also discusses the termination of an arms race: eventually the immense resources demanded by weaponry can't be supported and/or massive weaponry no longer ensures the advantage. My favorite example being the "sneaky male dung beetle" who burrows into the dominate male's tunnel via a side entrance whilst he's busy defending it from traditionally competitive males and goes to town. Delightful sketches throughout the book and a gloomy prophecy for humanity (weapons of mass destruction change the game, to no one's long term benefit).… (mais)