<< 1 >>
Rating:  Summary: Review from the Union-Tribune Review: Anybody who has ever traveled in a car at speeds over say, 3 miles per hour knoew the sight and sound: the slapping thunk followed by a variously colored splat. Another bug bites the dust-- or more specifically, the windshield. Most of us tend to look beyond the gore . Or maybe just around it. Not Hostetler, whose Midwestern childhood was reportedly spent trying to tip over sleeping cows and dreaming up ways to work with Marlin Perkins(of"Animal Kingdom"fame). Given that should we be suprised that such a fellow would find squished bugs to be infinately fascinating? Probably not. What is suprising is just how interesting dead bug remains-on-glass turn out to be. Hostetler, who has a doctorate in zoology, provides detailed descriptions of various insect gunk, completewith color illustrations and schematics. The collision, for example, of a horsefly (Tabanus americanus) with a 1984 Corolla (Automobilus japanicus) produces a dirty white, oblong glop that is roughly 20 to 70 millimeters in length with a smear of red in the middle only if the fly was full of animal blood. Good stuff to know and incidentally, worthy of a 1997 winner of the Ig Nobel Award for Improbable Research.
Rating:  Summary: A cool book Review: Dr Hostetler was my biology professor and he told us all he was going to be on the Tonight Show to promote his book...I thought he was joking, but he wasn't! Anyway, I was curious about his book so I got it and read it and it was quite interesting and fun to read. I'm not saying that because he was my instructor. In fact, I didn't do very well in the class...
Rating:  Summary: A book to share with others Review: It took a while to convince our librarian to buy the book for the collection, but once the book arrived it made the rounds through the staff members before reaching the public shelves. Also, I gave it as a birthday gift to a friend who just bought a motorcycle.The book is quite a novelty. For someone who enjoys animal behavior, this was an unusual way to learn. For children, not only are the "ewh, gross" splat plates interesting, but Hostetler has included some activites and games to keep them busy.
Rating:  Summary: Great Purchase! Review: This is a fun book that is great for kids and adults alike. The author does a great job relating information in a fun way, with all kinds of activities suggested. Even better, the illustrations in the book are unbelievable. A must read!
Rating:  Summary: Great Purchase! Review: This is a fun book that is great for kids and adults alike. The author does a great job relating information in a fun way, with all kinds of activities suggested. Even better, the illustrations in the book are unbelievable. A must read!
Rating:  Summary: Identify insect splats that end-up on your car! Review: This unique insect guide is meant to entertain and educate the family about the fascinating world of insects. Place the book in your glove compartment, and when you have an (unfortunate) encounter with an insect, you can use this guide to identify the insect splat and also learn a lot about the insect. The book contains colorful illustrations of insects and splats and lots of natural history information about insects. It even contains games about insects to play while driving down the road.
<< 1 >>
|