There's a Bug on my Book!
by John Himmelman
32 pages; ages 4-7
Dawn Publications, 2017
The best thing about summer is reading outside. That's what this book is all about: sitting on the grass with a ...
"Hey! there's a bug on my book! It's a beetle."
Okay, we can handle that. Just puff a breath of air on it to get it moving. Now, back to reading. Yikes! now there's a snake slithering across the page.
What I like about this book: it invites readers to tilt the book (so the snake slides back into the grass), to nudge a bug, to be patient while a slug meanders across the page. At the same time, John Himmelman shares observations about the insects, spiders, worms, and other .... what's that? A frog just plopped onto the page! Another thing I like about this book is the back matter. Four Pages! That's where you learn more about each critter that slithered, slimed, hopped, wiggled, and plopped across the pages of the book. There are also activities that explore how bugs move, habitat, and "design a bug". You'll find more buggy activities at the Dawn website here.
by Jill Esbaum
32 pages; ages 3-7
National Geographic Children's Books, 2017
"Look, a honey bee!" Easy to read and understand, the text describes the life of a honey bee. There's nectar-collecting, loading up the pollen baskets (which, we learn, can be a messy job), and carting the food back home. The hive is a busy place, with so many sisters and a queen, and there's lots of work to do in hive as well. We see the bee life cycle, meet a newly emerged bee who is immediately given a task: clean your room! Back matter includes more details about honey, pollination, the waggle dance, and a maze.
You might wonder why NGK writes "honey bee" rather than "honeybee". That's because they're following the rules of entomology: a honey bee is a kind of bee, just like a house fly is a kind of fly. On the other hand, a dragonfly (one word) is not a fly at all.
by John Farndon; illus. by Cristina Portolano
32 pages; ages 8-12
Hungry Tomato, 2016
This is a fun, browsable book with a table of contents so you can find what you're looking for fast (if you want). Sections include smartest bugs, communication, special senses, builders, tool users, teamwork, migration, and special skills. You'll discover maze-solving spiders, dragonfly flight instruments, and which bug can leap tall buildings in a single jump. Text is accompanied by cartoons and photos.
I can see I need to get to the bookstore. I love all of these. Thanks for the post.
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