insects – Mom Read It

Shine a Light on Backyard Bugs!

Posted on September 11, 2024September 10, 2024 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Backyard Bugs (A Shine-a-Light Book), by Carron Brown & Wesley Robins, (Aug. 2023, Kane Miller), $12.99, ISBN: 9781684645695

Ages 4-8

I have so much fun with these Shine-a-Light books. If you have a bright storytime area, you have to try one. It may feel a little awkward at first, getting the book in the best position to show off the hidden picture using light shining through the page, but it’s worth it and you’ll find a rhythm between storytelling and giving time to show off the picture, honest. Backyard Bugs is all about meeting the bugs in our backyards and green spaces. Pages alternate between bright, colorful pages with a featured insect, a fact, and an interactive question, answered on the next page – a black and white answer and insect; if you hold the colorful page up to the light, the bright white insect’s outline shows through, delighting readers. It’s a great STEM storytime book and adds a fun, interactive element to read-alouds. Letting readers explore the books for solo or paired reading gives them a chance to discover the hidden pictures for themselves. A good suggestion for elementary nonfiction collections.

Peek into The Wonderful World of Ants!

Posted on May 1, 2024April 30, 2024 by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Wonderful World of Ants, by Philip Bunting, (March 2024, Crown Books for Young Readers), $17.99, ISBN: 9780593567784

Ages 4-8

There are 10 quadrillion ants in the world! That’s a lot of ants. The Wonderful Wisdom of Ants is all about how these tiny little creatures make life better for us humans, and what we can learn from them. Recycling is a big thing with ants: nothing goes to waste! They recycle nutrients of plants and trees to create richer soil, and that makes for better crops for us. Ants love a good power nap, too – and who can blame them? Bunting’s humor comes across in his artwork and his writing, making fun facts even more interesting to read about, and bold, colorful pictures to grab your attention. He explains how an ant colony functions and each group’s job within the colony, and how ants communicate through pheromones. All in all, ants do their job in making the world a better place, and we could take a minute to learn from them. An excellent introduction for younger readers, and a first-rate addition to collections. The Wonderful Wisdom of Ants is the companion to The Gentle Genius of Trees.

The Wonderful Wisdom of Ants has a starred review from The Horn Book.

picture books, Preschool Reads

Jumper treats readers to a spider’s world

Posted on November 26, 2023November 25, 2023 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Jumper : A Day in the Life of a Backyard Jumping Spider, by Jessica Lanan, (Apr. 2023, Roaring Brook Press), $19.99, ISBN: 9781250810366

Ages 4-8

Have a look at a day in the life of a backyard jumping spider in this informative and playful story that is sure to capture readers’ hearts. Jumper is a spider in a community garden frequented by people and animals in the neighborhood. Driven by a thought-provoking narrative that asks questions – “What if you were very small?” “What if you could sense tiny vibrations through your elbows and knees?” “What if you could jump five times your body length?” – and responds with all the ways Jumper moves, feels, or jumps, giving readers the chance to think about how they experience their world and how Jumper experiences her world. Ink, watercolor, and gouache illustrations use shifting perspectives to move from close-ups of Jumper as she hides from a wasp or avoids a chickadee, to aerial views that capture large spreads, including a fold-out in the middle of the book. Back matter includes noteson spider physiology and behavior, a glossary, and notes on finding and identifying spiders. Superbly illustrated and written to inform and delight an audience, Jumper is an essential for collections. Pair this with Bethany Barton’s I’m Trying to Love Spiders (2019) for a fun, spidery STEM storytime.

Jumper has starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, and School Library Journal.

picture books, Preschool Reads

Tales from the TBR: Picture Books about Animals

Posted on July 18, 2023July 17, 2023 by Rosemary Kiladitis

It’s another installation of Tales from the TBR, and this time, I’ve got some fun books about animals for your collections! Enjoy.

Holey Moley, by Bethan Clarke/Illustrated by Anders Frang, (Aug. 2023, Kane Miller), $15.99, ISBN: 9781684645497

Ages 4-8

This hilarious story is full of wordplay, rhymes, and laughs. Gus the Goat meets Mavis the Mole and proceeds to start guessing where Mavis lives, adding his own rhyming flair: “A mole in a hole. A moley in a holey. A holey moley!” Mavis weathers Gus’s insistence on coming up with rhyming places where Mavis lives, to the reader’s delight. The back-and-forth dialogue is fast-paced, with illustrations that bring Gus’s imagination to life in the silliest of ways. A supporting cast of animal characters provide an audience for Gus. Originally published earlier this year in Great Britain, Holey Moley is a good addition to stories that engage readers with creative wordplay.

Just a Worm, by Marie Boyd, (March 2023, Greenwillow Books), $17.99, ISBN: 9780063212565

Ages 4-8

After being called “just a worm” in the most squeamish of reactions, Worm sets off through a garden to discover ways to prove people wrong. Some garden denizens are friendly, some are a little standoffish, but every0ne in the garden – including worm – has something important to contribute. An engaging narrative about recognizing one’s worth, Just a Worm is also a STEM story about how spiders, dragonflies, ladybugs,, bees, caterpillars and butterflies, and worms are the best neighbors a garden can have. Paper-quilling art adds an extra dimension of texture; back matter includes instructions on making a quilled paper butterfly that is sure to delight readers. Earthworm facts and a glossary complete this story that will find a home on fiction and STEM shelves.

Fish and Crab, by Marianna Coppo, (March 2023, Chronicle Books), $17.99, ISBN: 9781797204437

Ages 4-8

Best friends Fish and Crab live together in an aquarium, where they share a bedroom. When it’s time to go to sleep, Fish has a lot of worries: what was that sound? What if aliens abduct them? What if it rains frogs? Crab brews a cup of herbal tea and hears Fish out, with some hilarious commentary. An adorable bedtime story with some chuckles in store, Coppo creates a sweet story about friendship and the importance of having a person you can turn to with all your worries and fears – no matter what time of day or night. The back-and-forth dialogue moves quickly, and the tempera and pastel illustrations move from bright colors to grey and black to denote nighttime conversations. Parents will get a kick out of this one, too; they’ll see themselves in this scenario. Endpapers add to the story, with black endpapers and a wide-open pair of eyes to denote who’s left awake in the beginning and end of the story. A storytime choice your readers will want to hear again and again.

The Fastest Tortoise in Town, by Howard Calvert/Illustrated by Karen Obuhanych, (Apr. 2023, Candlewick Press), $18.99, ISBN: 9781536228359

Ages 3-7

A charming story that acts as a prequel to a beloved fairy tale, The Fastest Tortoise in Town is the story of Barbara Hendricks, a “regular leopard tortoise” whose owner and best friend, a little girl named Lorraine, has entered her in a race. Barbara is nervous about her chances – she’s a tortoise, after all – but Lorraine encourages her and helps her build stamina by taking her for walks every day. When Barbara is frustrated at how slow she is compared to assorted toddlers, remote-controlled vehicles, and Lorraine’s grandfather, Lorraine is there to keep Barbara’s spirits high. Calvert spins an adorable story of friendship and perseverance, told in the first person from Barbara’s point of view, and touches on facing and overcoming fears. Obuhanych’s enjoyable, colorful mixed media illustrations show expressive animal and human characters; the panel-by-panel scenes from the actual race will have readers giggling as they enjoy the unlikely competitors. The story’s end leads into a well-known fairy tale; have some of the many versions available! A very cute addition to storytime collections.

Non-Fiction, picture books, Preschool Reads

The Secret Life of Bugs: A kid-friendly close-up

Posted on May 17, 2023May 16, 2023 by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Secret Life of Bugs and Other Little Critters, by Emanuelle Figueras/Illustrated by Alexander Vidal, (Apr 2023, Twirl Books), $18.99, ISBN: 9782408042547

Ages 4-7

If it’s Spring and Summer, my bug books are going out like crazy. In every library community I’ve worked, kids are fascinated by bugs of all sorts. The Secret Life of Bugs and Other Critters is a unique new look at the hidden worlds that bugs inhabit, with laser-cut pages revealing the inner workings of a bee hive; a look at a spider’s web; leaves providing shelter for stick bugs, and more. Every spread has a laser cut page, adding dimension to the colorful pages. Factual text is interesting and short sentences are great for emerging readers. The laser cuts are delicate, so consider keeping a copy in your STEM reference; pages like the honeycomb and spider web may tear quickly. Originally published in French in 2019, the translation reads smoothly. The artwork shows movement and creates interest: butterflies fly from leaf to leaf in search of nectar while a spider waits in her web; bees actively gather nectar and pollen and protect their hive, and ants create their underground cities. There is something here for everyone.

Intermediate, Non-Fiction, picture books

New in the Nature Book series: A Shell is Cozy

Posted on May 6, 2023May 6, 2023 by Rosemary Kiladitis

A Shell is Cozy, by Dianna Hutts Aston/Illustrated by Sylvia Long, (May 2023, Chronicle Books), $18.99, ISBN: 9781797212470

Ages 5-8

Enjoy a study on the world of shells in the newest entry in Aston and Long’s Nature Books series. Ink and watercolor illustrations bring the many types of shells to life; Aston moves between brief and meaningful observations – “A shell is cozy”; “A shell is everywhere”; “A shell is athletic” – and more informative explanations to explain her observations. Cursive font poses the initial observations; smaller, print text the explanations. Each shell is labeled, helping facilitate understanding and knowledge. Aston writes to educate and to delight, including facts like jazz musician Steve Turre using “the same shell instrument… as his Aztec ancestors did…”, or that sea scallops “clap” their shells to swim away from predators. A great addition to a long-standing, popular natural world series.

Create an activity pack with a seek and find sheet from Education.com, a set of seashell identification cards from Cara Ratner on TeachersPayTeachers, and this field journal from the American Museum of Natural History.

A Beetle is Shy, by Dianna Hutts Aston/Illustrated by Sylvia Long, (May 2023, Chronicle Books), $7.99, ISBN: 9781797215877

Ages 5-8

The softcover edition of the 2016 book, A Beetle is Shy, hits shelves this week and is a good choice for libraries that need a backup or whose budgets are facing some challenges. Here, Aston and Long introduce readers to the many types of beetles: their life cycles, their sizes, where and how they live. They touch on the beetle’s prehistoric origins, with a beautiful rendering of beetles preserved in amber, and discuss the many areas of the world where beetles are on the menu! The ink and watercolor art is breathtaking, with vibrant colors truly showing off beetle’s jewel-like appearances. Scripted verse observations, like “A beetle is tasty”; “A beetle is prehistoric”; “A beetle is a digger… a runner… a hopper… or a swimmer” lead to brief informational text to explain. A great addition to your nature, STEM, and insect collection.

Do you have bug fans, or want to do a program on insects? You can put together a fun learning activity pack with this Beetle Mania activity from Education.com, a beetle coloring sheet, also from Education.com, a Build a Stag Beetle activity from Teaching Resources by AJ, and a beetle lifecycle activity sheet from itsMamaMiller, both from TeachersPayTeachers. DK has a good Beetle Facts for Kids webpage, and NatGeo Kids has fact pages on both the stag beetle and the dung beetle.

Graphic Novels, Intermediate, Middle Grade, Non-fiction, Non-Fiction

Join The Bug Club!

Posted on August 20, 2021August 20, 2021 by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Bug Club, by Elise Gravel, (Aug. 2021, Drawn & Quarterly), $17.95, ISBN: 9781770464155

Ages 6-10

I adore Elise Gravel’s graphic novels. Her latest, The Bug Club, is part autobiography, part STEM study; just like her Mushroom Fan Club (2018). We learn that Elise Gravel has always been fascinated by bugs, and, using her friendly, cartoon style, presents a wide range of fascinating and adorable bugs for readers to enjoy with her. It’s a good introduction to etymology; she gives an overview of invertebrates and what makes them members of that club; she illustrates wing shapes, antenna shapes, provides an overview of life cycles, and offers illustrations of baby vs. adult types of bugs, like wasps, ladybugs, and dragonflies. We even get profiles on some of her favorite bugs, with full-page illustrations and a brief discussion of tardigrades, dung beetles, and others. Loaded with fun facts, Ms. Gravel encourages kids to use their imaginations and think about bugs as cool aliens. Her writing is easy to read, easy to understand, and makes the science of bug-watching just plain fun. Great for young readers, you can go over colors, count numbers of bugs, wings, eyes, horns, or legs. Get creative! Encourage your own kiddos to start their own nature journals (you know I love my nature journals) and sketch pictures of the bugs they may discover in books or in the park (remember; take only pictures, leave only footprints).

Visit Elise Gravel’s page on Drawn and Quarterly for more about her graphic novels; visit Elise Gravel’s webpage for fun activities and downloadables for your kiddos and your libraries and classrooms.

Early Reader, Non-Fiction, picture books, Preschool Reads

¡Más libros en español: peces y insectos! / More books in Spanish: Fish and Insects!

Posted on August 10, 2021 by Rosemary Kiladitis

When I got back to my library just under two months ago, I discovered some bookmail waiting for me: two books in Spanish, courtesy of Peachtree Publishing! They’ve been wonderful about keeping me updated on their bilingual and Spanish nonfiction books, and I’ve loved the “About…” series they’ve sent me so far, so I wanted to make sure I gave these two books the love they deserve (and a place on my Spanish collection shelves).

Sobre los peces, by Cathryn Sill/Illustrated by John Sill, (Feb. 2020, Peachtree Publishers), $8.99, ISBN: 978-1-68263-154-6

Ages 3-7

Great early reader nonfiction. Sobre los peces is entirely in Spanish, and offers readers a look at the basics of fish: where they live, how they adapt to their environment, what they eat, how they reproduce. The text is written in easy-to-read, easy-to-understand, simple sentences, and each spread includes colorful, realistic paintings of different fish throughout. The text is presented in bold, black font against a white background, not competing for the reader’s attention; each painting includes the name of the fish, to increase understanding and forward the fact that there are a LOT of fish out there! Back matter includes more information about each spread: did you know that tropical fish are usually more vibrantly colored than fish from cold waters? It helps them camouflage better in their surroundings! A glossary and bibliography offer more resources for curious readers.

Peachtree includes a link to a free, downloadable Teacher’s Guide for the whole series. The guide is in English, but pair with some Spanish-language information like this page on National Geographic España, this story on sharks from TeachersPayTeachers creator, The Storyteller’s Corner, and this graphic organizer from TeachersPayTeachers creator Dual Language, Dual Fun.

Sobre los insectos, by Cathryn Sill/Illustrated by John Sill, (Feb. 2020, Peachtree Publishers), $8.99, ISBN: 978-1-68263-155-3

Ages 3-7

More great books in translation from Peachtree! About Insects is translated entirely into Spanish, with easy-to-read, easy-to-understand sentences introducing readers to the basics about insects: how many legs they have (it’s 6, not 8!), their hard exoskeletons, how they change forms as they get older, what they eat and how they eat, and how they are helpful to us humans (and how some are just plain pests). Colorful paintings by John Sill are realistic and detailed, making a naturalist out of every reader; the environments are textured, often lush, and there’s always something to draw your eye, from the movement of water as a trout jumps to catch a fleeing mayfly to the shadowy leaves in the background as a katydid leaps. Details on each painting, a glossary, and bibliography make up the back matter.

While the Teacher’s Guide is currently available in English, you can find more information about insects at National Geographic España, and there are copious free resources on TeachersPayTeachers, including a reader about The Hungry Insects from The Spanglish Senorita, bilingual bug bingo from onlinefreespanish, and a counting sheet from The Spanish Amigo.

Thanks again, Peachtree!

Fiction, Fiction, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction

Somethings Bugging Samantha Hansen – but it’s not bees!

Posted on February 17, 2021February 16, 2021 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Something’s Bugging Samantha Hansen, by Nancy Viau, (Aug. 2019, Schiffer Kids), $16.99, ISBN: 9780764357763

Ages 8-12

Samantha Hansen is a 10-year-old fourth grader with a love for bugs, especially bees! When she discovers that the local apiary owner is considering selling his bee farm, she launches into action, assembling her classmates to drop some knowledge on the importance of bees to her community, and encourage everyone to help save the apiary. She’s also dealing with some big feelings: she is learning to keep her temper under control, which is really difficult, because her best friend, Kelli, is hanging out with another girl lately, and she’s got big feelings to contend with. This is the second Samantha Hansen book; the first, Samantha Hansen has Rocks in Her Head (2008), introduced us to Samantha, her temper, and her coping mechanisms. It’s a good book for STEM/STEAM readers, with information about bees and apiaries; it’s a good family story that continues the exploration of loss within a family, and working through feelings in a positive way. Black and white illustrations introduce the chapter heads, and colorful endpapers show bee-friendly flowers, a honeycomb, and different types of bees. A good book club choice because there’s so much covered in this story, you can also use this Bee Hotel activity from Vivify as an end of book activity.