Beetle Bop [Hardcover]

Denise Fleming (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2007 | Age Range: 4 - 8 years

They crawl up walls, they hide in cracks, they flip, they fly, and sometimes . . . crrrash. Beetles come in all shapes and sizes, and they are everywhere in this thoroughly buggy, beautifully designed book.

There are striped beetles, spotted beetles, all-over-dotted beetles--and don't forget the noisily gnawing beetles! Whether you love bugs or whether the sight of them makes you itch, you'll adore this infested offering from the beloved Denise Fleming.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

As in her Caldecott Honor Book, In a Small, Small Pond (1993), Fleming creates a vibrant, exciting portrait of often-overlooked creatures. Here she uses expertly crafted fiber collage to celebrate beetles, and both words and pictures vibrate with the relentless energy of her subject. The rhyming couplets call out descriptions of beetles with the pounding rhythm of a chant: "Striped beetles, spotted beetles, all-over-dotted beetles." The beautiful images, colored in bright, saturated shades shot through with electric jolts of neon, magnify the places where beetles hide—under leaves, inside pavement cracks—drawing young children into the secret insect world where predators sometimes lurk. The final spread shows the beetles' activity as a wild, joyful dance, which may inspire preschoolers to try out a creepy-crawly boogie of their own. A great choice for a restless crowd demanding a high-voltage read-aloud. Engberg, Gillian

Review

* “Beetles come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors, and Fleming gives an exuberant shout-out to a slew of them in this eye-catching catalogue of backyard nature. . . . Part boisterous read-aloud, part field guide for entomology enthusiasts, this arresting volume has something for everybuggy.” (starred review)

(Publishers Weekly 20070724)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 4 - 8 years
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; 1 edition (August 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152059369
• ISBN-13: 978-0152059361
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 0.4 x 11 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #307,097 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Denise Fleming won a Caldecott Honor for In the Small, Small Pond. She is the author and illustrator of eighteen picture books, including Buster.

***INTERVIEW***
Q: Where did you grow up?
A: I grew up in Toledo,Ohio, where I live still. I am a midwestern girl.

Q: What is your earliest memory of writing/drawing?
A: It seems like I was always writing and drawing. I wanted to share my ideas from the beginning. A bit bossy am I.

Q: What inspired you to write/illustrate your first book?
A: I started collecting picture books in art school. I was crazy about the whole picture book format. I realized, as I was sharing books with my daughter, that making books is what I needed to do.

Q: What are your hobbies and interests besides reading and books?
A: I work in clay, create art from tin cans, and make art dolls. Right now I am working on combining all three media. I also dye and paint fabric for the dolls.
Planting flowers and painting the outside of my house and studio is what I am busy doing right now.

Q: What one or two words of advice would you give for young authors/illustrators?
A: Experiment with different styles and media.

*From Macmillan's Denise Fleming page.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Beetle Bop July 28, 2008

By Alice Donnelly

Format:Hardcover

Denise Fleming uses great colors and a catchy rhyme to tell children about bugs. I love how the words travel around the pages. This book is big enough to read to a group, too.

1.0 out of 5 stars Illistrations blurry and too dark - Preschool Teacher June 22, 2012

By CJ

Format:Hardcover

The line that hit me from this book, "not-often-seen beetles." My preschoolers couldn't FIND many of the beetles. They had trouble determining what the pictures were. The colors are dark and the images not crisp. Everything kind of blurs together. The story is not bad, although it's not great, and I actually like the way the words move on the pages. However, you have black script on dark illustrations, so the words are even indistinct. White on the darker pages would have been a better choice. This book is impossible to use for a group reading, and even one-on-one readings are difficult because so much time is spent trying to locate the bugs and explain the pictures. We read a LOT of books, and I was disappointed enough in this one to write a negative review, one of only two I've ever given.

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't be bugged-it's fun! November 1, 2009

By Kathleen S. Kennedy

Format:Hardcover

A very colorful way to explore a versatile and quite prolific bug population. Whether you embrace them or shy away from them, this book will colorfully lead you through the many faces of these fascinating creatures. Beautifully illustrated. A great read aloud book.