Unfold a world of discovery with this fascinating, science-packed story with a giant fold-out map and I-Spy game. Small, Shiny Dung Beetle tells the extraordinary life-cycle story of a female dung beetle, a small creature with unusual eating habits and super-strength. It begins with her finding a mate on a fresh pile of elephant poo, a common dating site for a dung beetle. She then works with her mate to roll away and bury the perfect dung ball in preparation for babies. Her story involves fights, theft, navigation by the stars, and a lot of determination and hard work, before laying her eggs and sealing the burrow. Just like butterflies, her babies go through three stages of metamorphosis, eating the dung their mother has provided until they are ready to emerge as fully-grown beetles. The main text is written for emerging readers with short sentences and uncomplicated vocabulary. There are lots of additional facts for confident readers, touching on fascinating science topics, such as parts of an insect, food chains, migration and grassland habitats. At the back of the book there is a giant fold-out map of Africa and a fun I-Spy game to take children back into the book to find the African animals. For educators, the story offers a fascinating insight into the important role that decomposers and recyclers play in an ecosystem. Dung beetles are on every continent except Antarctica and are a natural way for livestock farmers to keep their fields and livestock healthy without the use of chemicals, which can find their way into our food chain. A brilliant addition to any home or school library with lots of detail that will be returned to again and again. This is the sixth book in the Start Small, Think Big series of science-based picture books, each focusing on a different life cycle, habitat and region of the world, with online activity sheets to support children's learning both inside and outside the classroom. AGES: 4 to 8 AUTHOR: Mary Auld is an award-winning writer of children's information books, most notably How To Build an Orchestra with the London Symphony Orchestra. Mary Auld is a pen name for Rachel Cooke, former Editorial Director at Hachette and an honorary fellow of the English Association in recognition of her work in children's non-fiction. SELLING POINTS: . Clear narrative text about the life cycle of a dung beetle . Covers primary science topics including life cycles, parts of an insect, grassland food webs, metamorphosis, predation and other life processes, the role decomposers and recyclers play in a healthy ecosystem . Two levels of text - one for emerging readers and additional facts for confident readers . Includes a giant fold-out map of Africa and I-Spy game . Textured die-cut cover