Nature Observations and Experiments with Jean Henri Fabre

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The habit of wonder is so important for the formation of the young (and older!) mind. Wonder is a desire to know the ‘why’ of things in nature – especially about things that seem contradictory or even the opposite of what we would expect.

Nature and field studies are not only good and interesting in themselves, but are a great way to provoke this very virtue of wonder. In these fascinating little treaties, Jean Henri Fabre masterfully shows that insects show not only amazing knowledge and skill, but also great ignorance and inability to adapt to the simplest changes! For example, the reader comes face to face with a wasp which knows how to sting a cricket perfectly so as not to kill it, but to simply paralyze it so that it might serve as food for the wasp’s larvae. We see Fabre logically and tirelessly unravel the mystery of how the male Peacock moth finds the female from miles away. In spite of amazing powers however, we see these same insects doing the most ignorant and senseless things if faced with a slight change to their circumstances.

Henri Fabre was a master of nature, an excellent and charming narrator, and most importantly, a though-provoking teacher. We predict the reader will have a hard time putting this book down. Recommended for ages 12 and older. 77 pages.