The Best Book of Bugs [Hardcover]

Claire Llewellyn (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up | Series: The Best Book Of

Here's a worm's-eye view of a multitude of marching legs, scary-looking pincers, and fast-flying wings. Each colorful double-page spread provides a close-up look at the activities of a host of creepy characters in a wide variety of habitats, while informative captions detail everything from the feeding habits of leaf-cutter ants to the body features of beetles, scorpions, butterflies, and more. Kids will delight in the vivid, realistic illustrations and lively narratives that provide insight into the daily routines and adventures of an amazing variety of critters - from the trapdoor spider ambushing its prey from an underground burrow, to a step-by-step story depicting a year in the life of a honeybee. Offering both picture book appeal and educational value, this book will make an enthusiastically received gift.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5ATwo lavishly illustrated introductions. Bugs highlights the major ways in which insects and spiders differ and then briefly describes some outstanding physical or behavioral characteristics of about two dozen arthropods. The life cycles of honeybees, dragonflies, and butterflies are also outlined. The second book briefly discusses the general characteristics of several groups of dinosaurs and mentions some special traits of about two dozen species. Brightly colored acrylic paintings of varying sizes appear on every page of both titles. Although the books are clearly written, the information is oversimplified and some important facts are omitted. For instance, in Bugs, the book notes, "Wasps live in colonies, too"; however, not all species are social insects, some are solitary wasps. In Dinosaurs, several chapters include fictionalized scenes. Descriptions of attacks by meat-eaters on plant-eaters are sensationalized. More thorough introductions to these subjects are widely available, such as Robert Snedden's What Is an Insect? (Sierra Club, 1993) and Jennifer Dewey's Spiders Near and Far (Dutton, 1993; o.p.); both include excellent illustrations. Miriam Schlien's Discovering Dinosaur Babies (S & S, 1991) and Steve Parker's Did Dinosaurs Lay Eggs? (Benchmark, 1997) offer lucid explanations of how recent discoveries have effected our understanding of what dinosaurs looked liked and how they behaved.AKarey Wehner, San Francisco Public Library
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

If readers could crawl through the grass on six legs or float overhead on gossamer wings, the views this radiantly illustrated book provides might well reflect their world. This introduction to insects covers the basic bugs children discover: beetles, butterflies, ants, bees, and dragonflies, as well as spiders and a few other non-arthropods, e.g., snails and worms. Some elementary facts are provided on each creature; played out in step-by-step pictures is a caterpillar's metamorphosis into a butterfly, as is a fierce dragonfly nymph's capture of a tadpole. The facts are common to most bug books, but the pictures are so eye-catching they fairly steal the show. Occasional captions point out individual features, such as the difference between the abdomens of a butterfly and a moth, or the various webs spun by spiders. The full-color cut-aways of ant colonies and bee hives, as well as the verdant overviews of the rainforest and deciduous forest floors, remove the ``creepiness'' of these crawly creatures and make them resemble living jewels. (diagrams, glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 6-9) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 33 pages
• Publisher: Kingfisher (April 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0753451182
• ISBN-13: 978-0753451182
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 9.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #580,503 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars love the bugs, April 7, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Best Book of Bugs (Hardcover)

I am not too big on bugs, but my kindergarten class is. This book will answer many of their questions, especially about the roles of various bugs. The pictures are absolutly beautiful and full of details. This book is a great reference book to have for those children that are "buggy".

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!, July 5, 2006

By 

JUDITH M. THOMPSON "Judy" (CT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Best Book of Bugs (Hardcover)

My 5 year old grandson is going through the "bug stage". I have given him the bug vacuum and habitat and the Lady Bug habitat. He will sit for long periods of time just reading this book. He loves to take the book out in the backyard to match what he finds out there with what is in the book. Best money I have spent for him in a while. I encourage anyone with a child that's buggy over bugs to make the purchase.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars May Not the Best Book Of Bugs!!, June 24, 2009

By 

Busy Bee "Smiley" (Perth, Australia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Best Book of Bugs (Paperback)

Colourful simple introduction to the wonderful world of bugs intended for young children maybe 3 to 8 years old. My 4 year old daughter loves it. As for being "The Best Book of Bugs", well not sure if it can claim that title, its presentation is a bit crowded; could be better. Dollars for Quality, I guess it's good enough.