Books For Kids Who Love (or Want to Learn to Love) Spiders and Bugs
I'm Trying to Love Spiders
Title: I'm Trying to Love Spiders
Summary: As the subtitle of I'm Trying to Love Spiders says, It isn't easy, particularly when you are afraid of spiders. According to the book jacket, the inspiration for the book came from a spider that landed on author and illustrator Bethany Barton's artwork when she was in the midst of a drawing. The book details the ups and downs of trying to learn to love spiders.
This is both the very funny story of the narrator's attempt to learn to love, rather than squish, spiders and an excellent nonfiction book, full of information about spiders. Using paper, and inks as well as computers, Barton has provided colorful, non-threatening, illustrations of a wide variety of spiders. On the endpapers alone, more than a dozen varieties of spiders are pictured.
While several spiders do get squished in the story, by the book's end, overwhelmed by all of the amazing facts about spiders, our narrator (who is never identified as male or female) has learned to appreciate spiders. That's great except a cockroach just landed on the page and "squish"! This funny story will appeal to older preschoolers as well as kids in grades K-3, as the publisher recommends. However, I'm Trying to Love Spiders is such a lively and imaginative story that I think it will also appeal to older kids interested in writing and illustrating their own stories.
Author and Illustrator: Bethany Barton
Length: 40 pages
Format: Hardcover picture book
Publisher Recommends It for: Ages 4 to 8
Publisher: Viking, An Imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication Date: 2015
ISBN: 9780670016938
Additional About.com Resources:
Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.
Title: Bugs
Summary: As the subtitle says, Bugs provides A Stunning Pop-Up Look at Insects, Spiders and Other Creey-Crawlies. Who can resist a book with larger-than-life pop-up versions of such creatures as the broad-bodied chaser dragonfly, cockroach, blue morpho butterfly and fat-tailed scorpion? With a design that looks somewhat like a scientist's sketchbook, filled not only with notes and watercolor and pencil illustrations, plus featured pop-ups, but also little booklets, a pop-up of a wasp's nest and opportunities to lift the flap for even more information, this book is hard to resist.
While young kids may be more intrigued by the pop-ups than anything else, there is a wealth of information in this book that will educate and entertain young scientists. This is also an excellent book for the upper elementary school science area or classroom. It will, indeed, appeal to many kids in grades 2-5.
Author: Entomologist George McGavin
Illustrator: Jim Kay, award-winning artist
Length: 12 pages
Format: Hardcover Pop-Up Book
Publisher Recommends It for: Ages 7-10
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Publication Date: 2013
ISBN: 9780763667627
Additional About.com Resources:
Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.
Title: Creepy Crawlies: A 3D Pocket Guide
Summary: Creepy Crawlies comes in a small cardboard slipcase. Since it's only about 4" X $1/4," you be surprised and delighted to find that inside is a 3D pocket guide, a two-sided accordian-style panorama that expand to more than four feet long. In addition to the 3D images and information about specific insects and their relatives, there is a two-panel introduction, a glossary and a table describing the four main groups of arthropods (invertebrates).
The "creepy crawlies" featured are the European Praying Mantis, Mexican Red-Kneed Tarantula, Atlas Moth, Giant Weta, Stag Beetle, Pill Woodlouse, Asian Giant Hornet, Anopheles Mosquito, Army Ant, American Cockroach, Arizona Bark Scorpion and North American Millipede. A red triangle with the word "harmful" under it identifies those that are harmful to humans. Each description includes the common and the scientific name of the animal and a brief description. Although the publisher recommends the book for ages 3 to 9, I'd suggest it for ages 6-12 because of all of the information provided and because, like pop-up books, 3D panoramas need to be carefully handled.
Paper Engineering: Gus Clarke
Length: 30 pages
Format: 3D panorama in cardboard case
Publisher Recommends It for: Ages 3-9 (See my recommendation above.)
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Publication Date: 2013 (First U.S. edition)
ISBN: 9780763666620
Additional About.com Resources:
Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.
Title: I'm Trying to Love Spiders
Summary: As the subtitle of I'm Trying to Love Spiders says, It isn't easy, particularly when you are afraid of spiders. According to the book jacket, the inspiration for the book came from a spider that landed on author and illustrator Bethany Barton's artwork when she was in the midst of a drawing. The book details the ups and downs of trying to learn to love spiders.
This is both the very funny story of the narrator's attempt to learn to love, rather than squish, spiders and an excellent nonfiction book, full of information about spiders. Using paper, and inks as well as computers, Barton has provided colorful, non-threatening, illustrations of a wide variety of spiders. On the endpapers alone, more than a dozen varieties of spiders are pictured.
While several spiders do get squished in the story, by the book's end, overwhelmed by all of the amazing facts about spiders, our narrator (who is never identified as male or female) has learned to appreciate spiders. That's great except a cockroach just landed on the page and "squish"! This funny story will appeal to older preschoolers as well as kids in grades K-3, as the publisher recommends. However, I'm Trying to Love Spiders is such a lively and imaginative story that I think it will also appeal to older kids interested in writing and illustrating their own stories.
Author and Illustrator: Bethany Barton
Length: 40 pages
Format: Hardcover picture book
Publisher Recommends It for: Ages 4 to 8
Publisher: Viking, An Imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication Date: 2015
ISBN: 9780670016938
Additional About.com Resources:
- 10 Fascinating Facts About Spiders
- Why Spiders Decorate Their Webs
- 10 Fascinating Facts About Cockroaches
Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.
Title: Bugs
Summary: As the subtitle says, Bugs provides A Stunning Pop-Up Look at Insects, Spiders and Other Creey-Crawlies. Who can resist a book with larger-than-life pop-up versions of such creatures as the broad-bodied chaser dragonfly, cockroach, blue morpho butterfly and fat-tailed scorpion? With a design that looks somewhat like a scientist's sketchbook, filled not only with notes and watercolor and pencil illustrations, plus featured pop-ups, but also little booklets, a pop-up of a wasp's nest and opportunities to lift the flap for even more information, this book is hard to resist.
While young kids may be more intrigued by the pop-ups than anything else, there is a wealth of information in this book that will educate and entertain young scientists. This is also an excellent book for the upper elementary school science area or classroom. It will, indeed, appeal to many kids in grades 2-5.
Author: Entomologist George McGavin
Illustrator: Jim Kay, award-winning artist
Length: 12 pages
Format: Hardcover Pop-Up Book
Publisher Recommends It for: Ages 7-10
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Publication Date: 2013
ISBN: 9780763667627
Additional About.com Resources:
- 15 Misconceptions Kids Have About Insects
- 10 Fascinating Facts About Dragonflies
- Habits and Traits of Beetles
Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.
Title: Creepy Crawlies: A 3D Pocket Guide
Summary: Creepy Crawlies comes in a small cardboard slipcase. Since it's only about 4" X $1/4," you be surprised and delighted to find that inside is a 3D pocket guide, a two-sided accordian-style panorama that expand to more than four feet long. In addition to the 3D images and information about specific insects and their relatives, there is a two-panel introduction, a glossary and a table describing the four main groups of arthropods (invertebrates).
The "creepy crawlies" featured are the European Praying Mantis, Mexican Red-Kneed Tarantula, Atlas Moth, Giant Weta, Stag Beetle, Pill Woodlouse, Asian Giant Hornet, Anopheles Mosquito, Army Ant, American Cockroach, Arizona Bark Scorpion and North American Millipede. A red triangle with the word "harmful" under it identifies those that are harmful to humans. Each description includes the common and the scientific name of the animal and a brief description. Although the publisher recommends the book for ages 3 to 9, I'd suggest it for ages 6-12 because of all of the information provided and because, like pop-up books, 3D panoramas need to be carefully handled.
Paper Engineering: Gus Clarke
Length: 30 pages
Format: 3D panorama in cardboard case
Publisher Recommends It for: Ages 3-9 (See my recommendation above.)
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Publication Date: 2013 (First U.S. edition)
ISBN: 9780763666620
Additional About.com Resources:
Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.
Source...