Features the beetle in huge, three-dimensional form. The book consists of an enormous center pop-up and two seven-page books, one bound into each cover, which are full of additional pop-ups, anatomical cutaways and photographs taken through electron microscopes. The portfolio format gives the dimensional insect constructions a lie-flat base, allowing curious fingers to more easily examine the legs or explore the underbelly. Together, words and pictures show the life cycle of each creature - how it develops, nests, hunts and mates. Maria M. Mudd has worked as a writer and editor for The National Geographic Society and The Washington Post .