Bugs

Have you ever wondered how the moon got where it is? According to this Ashanti tale, Nyame, the god of all things, put it there when Anansi could not decide which of his sons deserved it. Brilliant illustrations accompany this classic retelling of a traditional tale.

Lyrical language and textured collages poetically convey the wonder of patterns and shapes in moths, birds, and other creatures. A brief note concludes this handsome volume.

Follow Bella, a girl who is passionate about bugs, on a day in her life at Forest School where she always has many creepy-crawly adventures with her fellow nature hero friends! The book is packed with facts about bugs, some of which Bella regularly spots, but also includes the bugs she dreams about seeing one day—different insects from all over the world.

From blowing bubbles to spraying acid, the world’s insects do amazing things with this under-appreciated part of their anatomy. Discover the wild and weird ways insects use their butts to avoid predators. Spittlebugs blow bubbles from their butts and hide under them, while some caterpillars shoot their poop far from their bodies to throw poop-searching wasps off their trail. Ants and beetles spray acid from their butts into the faces of predators, while some caterpillars and larvae build hide-outs with their poop to keep predators away.

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Sick of how much bugs love to bite him, a boy is determined to return the favor. But as he eagerly hunts the bugs in his backyard, he can’t help noticing how impressive they are, too—they’re basically master builders with super-strength! But will that remarkable quality be enough for him to change what’s on the menu?

On a visit to the Butterfly Pavilion with his dad and sister, William spots a sign promoting a bug buffet. He likes looking at insects and learning about them…but eating them? His dad explains that it’s common in other parts of the world, and his sister is excited to taste some of the samples. Will that be enough to convince William to try for himself?

Du iz tak? What is that? As a tiny shoot unfurls, two damselflies peer at it in wonder. When the plant grows taller and sprouts leaves, some young beetles arrive to gander, and soon—with the help of a pill bug named Icky—they wrangle a ladder and build a tree fort. But this is the wild world, after all, and something horrible is waiting to swoop down—booby voobeck!—only to be carried off in turn. Su! Readers are invited to imagine the dramatic possibilities to be found in even the humblest backyard. 

Follow the flight of a honey bee as she searches for nectar to sustain her hive and, along the way, pollinates flowers to produce seeds and fruits.

Ready with their magnifying glass, camera, and scrapbook, two young sisters head into nature to discover all the bugs they can. And these critters are hard at work! From carpenter ants chewing up old trees (like builders clearing a construction site) to butterflies spreading pollen (like gardeners planting seeds) to crickets making beautiful sounds (like musicians playing instruments), bugs belong to a busy world just like people.

The girl in this story loves insects—how they look, how they sound, and how they move. Her friend does not like insects—especially when they sting. Like them or not, children will learn many interesting facts, as well as why insects are essential to human survival.

Learn through poetry about twenty-one insects that will bug or beguile kids. From swooping dragonflies and twirling whirligig beetles to marching army ants and feasting mosquitoes, here is one pest infestation you’ll welcome into your home!

While hard at work on her chores, an ant hears the wonderful clickety click chirrup of music coming from the distance. Although she knows she should focus on the task at hand, she can't help but explore the joyful noise!

The life cycle of a monarch butterfly begins with an egg and a feast by caterpillars; each colorful leaf and creature is hidden beneath a well-hidden flap on bold black and white pages. The journey continues in lyrical language with colorful surprises beneath well camouflaged flaps, sure to inspire close observation and interest.

Everyone knows the song about the old lady who swallowed a fly, a spider, a bird, and even worse, but who’s ever seen what's going on inside the old lady’s stomach? With die-cut artwork, Simms Tabak gives us a rollicking, eye-popping version of the well-loved poem.

Butterflies soar in the sunlight. While moths flutter under the moon and stars. Find out more about these mysterious and majestic insects similarities and differences, and their awestrucking metamorphosis!

A retelling of a traditional West African tale that reveals how the mosquito developed its annoying habit. A mosquito annoyed the iguana, who frightened the python, who scared the rabbit…and now the whole jungle is in an uproar because the sun won’t rise. The animals discuss the situation and decide to punish the mosquito. Even today, whenever we hear a mosquito buzz, we smack it hard!

By looking closely at the life cycle of one bee, Begin with a Bee helps readers of all ages understand and appreciate the contributions and significance of all bees. The life cycle of the rusty-patched bumblebee is a tale of wonder, the adventure of one queen bee who carries an entire colony of bees inside her tiny body. Her story begins in the spring when she emerges from a hole in the ground to search for pollen. She finds a nest, “underground best,” lays a few eggs, and seals them in pollen. All summer this single queen lays more eggs, and more worker bees hatch. They gather pollen and...

The tiny creatures in this book are amazing builders. Get an inside look at the unique structures insects and spiders build. Can you guess which builder makes separate chambers for nurseries and even trash? Or which insect’s home looks like cotton candy? Or what kind of insect has ears on its knees?

In this story of community conservation, a girl finds a home in a new place and a way to help other small travelers — beautiful monarch butterflies.. This book is about the real change children can make in conservation and advocacy.

Welcome to Crawly School for Bugs! Termites, stink bugs, gnats, and every insect in between attend this buzzy school where crickets take classes like “How to Be Annoying in 4 Easy Steps.” Some students struggle with the temptation to eat fellow classmates, while others deal with a mosquito nurse who always wants to draw blood, or attempt to make friends despite their own microscopic size.

Short poems about animals appear in English and Spanish accompanied by textured illustrations reminiscent of folk art. An author’s note reveals that she is neither a poet nor native Spanish speaking but was launched into both Spanish and poetry when she discovered the work of Pablo Neruda.

In the pages of this book, you’ll find a workshop filled with everything you need, including a head, a thorax, an abdomen, and much more. Written by an entomologist and accompanied by delightfully detailed illustrations, this wonderfully original take on insect anatomy will spark curiosity and engage even those who didn't think they liked creepy, crawly things!

Often human scientists try and solve a problem or invent a new tool and they realise that animals have already invented it for them. In this book you will meet the animal inventors who have shared their super inventing powers to make amazing things for humans.

A sweet retelling of the Cuban folktale, full of puns and a sprinkling of Spanish. When it is time for beautiful young Martina to find a husband, her grandmother gives her some wise advice: to always spill coffee on her suitor's shoes to test his temper. 

The narrator was born on May 17th, a “sunny spring day!” On May 19th, she ate lots of aphids but on June 2nd ate one of two brothers. The life of the praying mantis begins in spring, ends in October, with its own description of life in between. Inviting illustrations illuminate the understated text. Endpages fill in information about a praying mantis’ life cycle.

This illustrated introduction to ants, honeybees, dragonflies, and more covers the basic body parts of different kinds of bugs, their life cycles, their range of unique habitats and even how to tell them apart from common “insect impostors” like spiders. It takes readers on a year through the lives of bugs, explaining which bugs can be found in each of the four seasons, and where. An interactive beginner’s bug-watching guide provides a series of questions to lead readers through the steps of identifying bugs, and lists the tools every bug-watcher needs.

Ever since he was a wee mite (a termite, that is), Roberto has wanted to be an architect. Discouraged by his woodeating family and friends, he decides to follow his dream to the big, bug city. There he meets a slew of not-so-creepy, crawly characters who spark in him the courage to build a community for them all. The mysterious architect chooses to remain anonymous, but ultimately can't avoid the grateful adulation of the carpenter ants, ladybugs, and house flies he has helped.

A biologist introduces spiders and their webs through stunning full color close-up photographs and a lively text. Spider facts include the arachnids' common and scientific names, size, where they live, and what they eat. A technique to find webs and additional sources of information conclude this handsome volume.

An aged Bee-man lives contentedly among his insect friends, surviving on honey and the occasional piece of meat, until the day an itinerant Junior Sorcerer informs him he's been transformed and encourages him to discover his "original form." A comic American folktale that says much about fate, identity, and the captivating power of bees.

Bees have been around for over 65 million years but have been in decline since early in the 21st century. This scientific mystery is better appreciated with a clearer understanding of the importance of these flying insects to humans. Mystery and background information are presented in handsome photographs and lucid text. Suggested activities are doable as is finding out more from recommended resources.

Learn about each stage of a honeybee's life cycle from egg to adult. Full-color photographs, illustrations, and easy-to-understand text highlight how a queen lays eggs and forms a new hive; how eggs develop into workers, drones, or queen bees; how honeybees find food, and more.

This is the timeless folktale of a young prince who undoes the terrible spell on a castle by accomplishing three impossible tasks with the help of some small creatures he saved from cruelty.

Insects, like all living things, need a place to call home. Readers get a close-up look at different insect habitats, including those underground, above ground, and in water. Readers discover how insects get what they need to survive from their different habitats and how changes to the environment pose a serious risk to insects. The book includes examples of solitary and social insects.

How animals survive — even thrive — in winter is presented in a variety of poetic forms, each accompanied by factual information. Textured prints dramatically bring the frozen setting and its inhabitants to life as they await spring.

There are about ten quintillion insects in the world—and some of them have affected human history in tremendous ways! For as long as humans have been on Earth, we’ve co-existed with insects…for better or for worse. Once you begin to look at world history through fly-specked glasses, you begin to see the mark of these minute life forms at every turn. Beneficial bugs have built empires. Bad bugs have toppled them.

Anyone can get involved in gathering data for ongoing, actual scientific studies such as the Audubon Bird Count and FrogWatch USA. Just get out into a field, urban park, or your own backyard. This book, full of engaging photos and useful tips, will show you how.

This action-packed picture book about the incredible yet factual insect abilities found in the natural world is packaged comic book style and explores 18 awesomely real superheroes and supervillains, who each possess powers far beyond the average insect.

Take a poetic tour through the duff and get the dirt on the tiny, fascinating critters that live there. For all the kids who can't resist turning over a rock, the author presents 19 lively ecological poems in a variety of verse forms about the "brown food web" and the creatures that live there — from bacteria and rove beetles to mushrooms and millipedes, and all of the other busy recyclers in between.

Marvin, a beetle, lives with his family under the kitchen sink in the Pompadays’ apartment. James Pompaday lives with his family in New York City. After James gets a pen-and-ink set for his 11th birthday, Marvin surprises him by creating an elaborate miniature drawing, but James gets all the credit for the picture. They get caught up in a staged art heist at the Met to help recover a famous drawing, and James needs Marvin’s help.