Bug books sure to charm squirming youngsters

Bugs — they’re everywhere this spring, and books are no exception. I don’t mean that bugs are literally in books (all librarians shudder). I mean that bugs are characters or subjects in books, as well. Such books may inspire humans to hunt down and observe real insects in the great outdoors, or real insects in the great outdoors may inspire humans to hunt down books with bugs as characters or subjects.

Wherever a person starts or ends up is neither here nor there. The main point is that bugs are important, actually useful in our world, and highly entertaining. The following bug books will kick-start your research. Enjoy!

Big Bug

By Henry Cole

Little Simon, 2014

For age 2 and older

Henry Cole cleverly takes the complex topic of “perspective” and brings it down to a preschool level. (The conversations this picture book provokes, however, can become as advanced as the audience can handle.) With bright, simple illustrations and large, clear text, the same ladybug and other farm objects are shown as big on one page and little on the next page, depending on the location or distance of the viewer. This cheerful book is sure to engage the mind.

Fly!

By Karl Newsom Edwards

Alfred A. Knopf, 2015

For age 2 and older

This picture book might very well have everyone jumping with the grasshoppers! These funny and simple pictures and text are all about movement. Fly imitates the movements of other insects, including rolling with a roly-poly and marching with the ants, but his frowns and grimaces tell the audience he is not happy with these movements.

Fly continues to search for the movement that suits him best until he achieves success. “Bug Facts” at the end of the book lists each bug’s movement in a single bold word and provides further information about each bug in the story.

Dot & Jabber and the Big Bug Mystery

By Ellen Stoll Walsh

Harcourt Inc., 2003

For age 4 and older

Follow the adventures of two mice as they observe bugs and discover the advantages of camouflage. A few animals that eat insects are also included in the story and offer learning opportunities in regards to the food chain. With fabulous illustrations created from cut-paper collages, Walsh has produced an illusion of texture-rich pages. This picture book is ideal for inspiring art projects or science studies.

I Like Bugs

By Margaret Wise Brown

Random House, 1999

For age 3 and older

As a Step 1 Easy Reader, this book has simple words and pictures that complement the text. Additionally, the large text is spaced well, which makes reading easier on untrained eyes and allows for a finger to be placed below each letter while it is being sounded out. Even children not quite ready to read on their own can learn what the word looks like (“sight words”) and the proper direction to read. The illustrations are colorful, and the “bug in a glass” picture with lips about to drink the bug will get them laughing.

Rooting for You

By Susan Hood

Hyperion Books, 2014

For age 5 and older

This amazing story is told from the perspective of a seed and describes the process of growing into a plant, with the aid of several other insects and an encouraging worm. The illustrations and dialogue show what goes on underground and how a seed might be feeling, if it could indeed think and feel. The play on words — “rooting for you” — and the poetic verse and fold-out pages make the story fun and entertaining. The length of the story and the attention span required make this book too hard for toddlers to follow.

Beetle Bop

By Denise Fleming

Harcourt Inc., 2007

For age 3 and older

This picture book’s uniqueness is partially due to the cotton fibers Fleming uses to create the colorful illustrations of different kinds of beetles. The large size of the illustrations make this book perfect for reading aloud to a group, and yet it is great for one-on-one reading, too. There are plentiful opportunities for extended discussions, depending on the attention span of the audience.

The large, varying text keeps things interesting while inviting the reader to emphasize certain parts of the words, and the beetles’ different environments, body designs, and activities are interesting for all ages. Don’t miss this gem!

The Very Clumsy Click Beetle

By Eric Carle

Philomel Books, 1999

For age 3 and older

Classic author and illustrator Eric Carle does not disappoint with this bold, bright and entertaining story. A young “click beetle” experiences failure repeatedly, but he is encouraged by other animals and does not give up trying to master an essential skill. Readers of all ages should be able to relate. There’s also a lesson about how kind words to others are important and make a big difference in our world.

The collage illustrations appear textured, with plenty of white space to help young readers focus on the important details. This book is a feast for the eyes and the mind, and, in some copies with an audio click sound, for the ears.

Bug in a Vacuum

By Mélanie Watt

Tundra Books, 2015

For age 8 and older

Watt cleverly illustrates the five stages of grief with muted, earth-tone pictures and many examples of each stage that older children can understand. The main character, a cute, big-eyed fly, invites empathy yet is still just a fly whose behavior can be laughed at. Keep in mind, this story is longer than the average picture book. (By learning about typical, human reactions to grief, individuals are more likely to understand their own reactions and be supportive of others.)

Super Fly: The World’s Smallest Superhero!

By Todd H. Doodler

Bloomsbury, 2015

For age 8 and older

The life of super-smart Eugene Flystein is action-packed when he and the school bully, a cockroach, go head-to-head in numerous battles disguised as “Super Fly” (the superhero) and “Crazy Cockroach” (the villain). Their elementary school is described as “a brown pile of yuck floating in a broken toilet” and is just a sample of the potty humor and disgusting, yet insightful, words used to describe the life of a fly.

In light of all this, elementary children may find this story appealing, and they may be more likely to understand/retain facts about insects when they are told from an insect’s point of view. However, the continuous violence is something to consider as well.

This story was originally published May 24, 2016 at 1:05 PM with the headline "Bug books sure to charm squirming youngsters."