Behold the Beautiful Dung Beetle

Gr 1–4—While transforming animals' waste products into life-giving material, dung beetles perform a vital cleaning service to the environment. This overview of the three types of dung beetles sometimes uses fanciful language, e.g., the "dung-pat pie fresh from the oven," but rather than distract, it lightens the topic. Often arriving within 15 seconds of the "drop," the dwellers, rollers, and tunnelers compete fiercely for control of the fresh poop. Each species extracts nutrient-filled moisture from the warm material, either on the spot (dwellers) or as they roll it off or push it into tunnels. Vivid watercolor and pencil illustrations show the life cycle of these flying, crawling creatures. The narrative is divided on each spread, with brief text on one page and a more detailed explanation on the other. The lowly dung beetle was exalted in ancient Egypt, and its vital role in nature is beautifully recognized once again.—Frances E. Millhouser, formerly at Fairfax County Public Library, VA