The Reading Warehouse

See for yourself one of the most amazing masters of change in the insect kingdom--the luna moth Hatching from a tiny egg, the luna moth begins its life as a caterpillar just 0.11 inch (3 millimeters) long. An eating machine, the caterpillar grows and sheds its skin--or molts--four times. Then it stitches a silk cocoon among the fallen leaves and becomes a pupa. Inside the pupa, the insect's body dissolves and reforms. After about six months, the insect emerges as a beautiful luna moth with a wingspan of up to 5 inches (127 millimeters)--more than 40 times its original size In this exciting book, you can learn what makes luna moths similar to and different from other insects. Close-up photographs and diagrams reveal extraordinary details about moths' bodies, both inside and out. This book contains directions for creating a moth garden, where you can watch new moths emerge. Learn more about this exciting member of nature's fascinating Insect World.

Sandra Markle is the author of numerous award-winning books for children. A former elementary science teacher, she is a nationally-known science education consultant.

Markle has received many honors for her series Animal Predators, Animal Scavengers, and Animal Prey. Several titles have been named as National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)/Children's Book Council (CBC) Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12, and Animal Predators was honored as a Top 10 Youth Nonfiction Series by Booklist.

Markle is also the author of the Insect World series and several single titles. Her book Rescues! was named a Best Book by the Society of School Librarians International and a Recommended Title of Outstanding Nonfiction by the National Council of Teachers of English's (NCTE) Orbis Pictus Award committee; Animal Heroes was named a 2008 Lasting Connections title by Book Links.

Markle lives in Lakewood Ranch, Florida with her husband, photographer Skip Jeffery.