A Ladybug's Life (Nature Upclose) [Paperback]

John Himmelman (Author, Illustrator), Melissa Stewart (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1998 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up | Series: Nature Upclose

Examines the life cycle of a Nature Upclose: A Ladybug's Life

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2--A series designed to be read aloud to younger children or alone by beginning readers. Each title records the life cycle of a specific insect/mollusk. Mating is mentioned, but specifics are not provided. Death never enters the scene. The realistic illustrations are large, colorful, and framed with clear borders in colors that match the main tones of the covers. Visually appealing, the books have accurate (if very elementary) texts that may satisfy some childrens' immediate informational needs and raise a storm of question from others. Although each title has a brief assortment of facts for adults and a glossary of terms italicized in the text, these sections will prove inadequate if more detail is demanded. While ladybugs are often featured in juvenile nonfiction, luna moths are not, and slugs, alas, being somewhat unlovely, give ground to coverage of their "cuter" cousins, the snails. Nicely done, if simplistic.

Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY

Copyright 1998 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

John Himmelman is the author of several nonfiction books for children.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Children's Press(CT) (September 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0516263536
• ISBN-13: 978-0516263533
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 9.9 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #94,253 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #16 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Environment & Ecology > Nonfiction
  • #27 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Animals > Bugs & Spiders > Nonfiction
  • #38 in Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Environment & Ecology

More About the Author

John Himmelman is the author and illustrator of more than sixty books for children, including "Chickens to the Rescue". He lives in Connecticut with his family.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A vibrant look at a miniature world, May 11, 2004

By 

Michael J. Mazza - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Ladybug's Life (Nature Upclose) (Library Binding)

"A Ladybug's Life" is written and illustrated by John Himmelman. The text and pictures look at the life cycle of a ladybug, including hatching, metamorphosis, and eventual egg-laying. The book includes a glossary of terms ("aphid," "larva," etc.).

Himmelman has crafted some wonderful images: golden ladybug eggs clustered on a green leaf, a ladybug dwarfed by a fierce looking preying mantis, and more. The artist brings to vivid life a world of savage beauty--it's like looking at an exotic science fiction landscape. The book shows predation and evasion of predation, but is not gory and deals with these realities of insect life in a matter-of-fact way. This book is another triumph for the talented Himmelman, who has created in these pages a world that is rich in color, action, and drama.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Life and Struggles of a Ladybug, February 28, 2005

By 

Pam Tee "Busy Mom" - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: A Ladybug's Life (Nature Upclose) (Paperback)

This small book of 32 pages describes the life and lifecycle of the Adalia Bipunctata or Ladybug beetle. Except for one brief description, which is probably for parents, it has one simple sentence per page, such as "In the early spring, a ladybug lays her eggs on a leaf."

I can not speak to the difficulty these sentences might present to newer readers as my children are not reading yet, but the book does contain the following words: aphid, cranefly, larva, mealybug, pupa, robberfly and beetle.

The story takes us through the seasons: from early spring where a ladybug is flying away from a leaf where she has laid eggs; to late spring where an emerging larva soon begins devouring aphids. This larva soon changes into a pupa from which a new ladybug emerges. This summer beetle then goes in search of food and has some adventures in which she barely escapes being lunch to a warbler and a praying mantis. Other bugs are eaten by the way. I mention this because some children might find this distressing.

Finally, the ladybug looks for a mate. Nothing objectionable for children here, in my opinion, and the next page shows our beetle laying her own eggs. Then everyone hibernates over the winter.

Overall a nice story about the life of a ladybug.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not as educational as I'd hoped, August 8, 2008

By 

Amy R. (Iowa) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Ladybug's Life (Nature Upclose) (Paperback)

I had ordered this book as a companion to the Insect Lore Ladybug Land, mainly because the Ladybug Land page had a "buy together" link. Since the Ladybug Land seems fairly educational, I figured the book would be too. I was wrong. The book is very, very simple. If you "look inside" the book, you see a page with some interesting facts on it. I was hoping the whole book would be more like that. Instead, it was one basic sentence per page. We actually learned more from the one-page paper/care instructions that came with our Ladybug Land than we did from this book. I will continue to look for a companion book for our next batch of ladybugs that we order for our Ladybug Land.