Friday, May 3, 2024

So They Build - Termites

 


Over 2,000 species of termites can be found around the world. Termite colonies, which can include thousands of individuals, often live in large dirt mounds

Two books that give students a thorough insight into the lives of termites and the other animals that depend on them are Tamarra a Story of Termites on Gurindji Country.


This book by indigenous author Violet Wadrill and others is an illustrated science book that takes kids inside the life of termites through storytelling from the Gurindji People. 

Did you know there are four types of termite poo? Or that a warm paste made from termite mound is used to strengthen a Gurindji baby’s body and spirit? Or that spinifex (which termites eat) is one of the strongest plants in the world? Created as a collaboration between over 30 First Nations and non-Indigenous contributors, the story and artworks explore how termites and their mounds connect different parts of Country, from tiny Gurindji babies and their loving grandmothers, to spiky spinifex plants growing in the hot sun.





                                      and Termites on a Stick  by Michelle Coxon.         

This book by Michelle Coxon tells how young chimpanzees learn everything they need to know to survive in the wild from the adults in their group. Here, a young chimp watches its mother tear off a branch, put it in a termite hole, and pull it out covered with deliciously juicy termites. After trial and error, the young chimp savours the sweet taste of success when it licks the delectable snacks off its very own stick.

It includes facts about chimpanzees, the interior of a termite's nest, and the soldier termite, this chimp's tasty snack.


Other books about termites...not many, but look for these














There is an amazing picture of termites building in Home by Charles Hope.

Two good books about aardvarks and their love for termites are

Awkward Aardvark  by Mwalmi and Adrienne Kennaway

The Aardvark Who Wasn't Sure  by Jill Tomlinson


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