Review of "Growing Up Alone," by Bernard Stonehouse

 Review of

Growing Up Alone, by Bernard Stonehouse ISBN 0439305322

Five out of five stars

Excellent nature book for children

Written at the level of the late elementary school student, this book contains brief, yet sound explanations of some of the animals that provide little to no care of the infants. This is not to say that they do not prepare elaborate hatching nests, just do not provide care once the eggs hatch.

 For example, the Mason wasp prepares a tunnel nest on a sandy cliff and stocks it with the bodies of a few paralyzed grasshoppers. The entrance to the tunnel is sealed and when the egg hatches, the larva feeds on the caterpillars until it is large enough to emerge and pursue the life of an adult.

 The stories in this book are an amazing description of how some of the simplest of creatures can engage in a fairly elaborate and complex behavior. Planning and preparation are generally needed in order to reproduce, even when no after hatching care is required. That makes it an excellent book regarding the enormous complexity of how nature operates.