Review by Booklist Review
Ages 5^-8. OK, so a bug is a bug is a bug. Well, not according to this entry in the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out-Science series. Children will learn what makes a bug a bug and a beetle a beetle, and why butterflies and water striders are considered insects but spiders, daddy longlegs, and ladybugs aren't. The spare, carefully written text makes the distinction between insects and bugs quite clear, and the paper-cut illustrations don't overwhelm with tiny details. Young naturalists will also get some well-illustrated instruction on how to examine their own backyard insects and determine what they have found. The "Find Out More about Insects" section at the back offers other ideas--among them, making an insect calendar and planting a garden to attract butterflies. A key to the creatures in the illustrations (none of which are labeled) is appended, but there's still going to be some guesswork for younger children when several different insects appear on a spread. --Shelley Townsend-Hudson
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-Rockwell explains what distinguishes an insect from other animals that look similar such as scorpions and spiders. She also notes that "bug" and "insect" are not synonymous. Jenkins's collage illustrations reinforce the text's distinctions and will encourage readers to undertake some of the activities and observations suggested at the end. (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
(Primary) Without ever talking down to her audience (correct terminology such as external skeleton, antennae, and abdomen is consistently used rather than misleading synonyms), Rockwell unerringly directs youngsters to discover the properties of insects in this Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science book. She introduces a single characteristic, identifies that feature, asks children to test it as an attribute, and slowly helps them build a definition for insect: an animal with an external skeleton, six legs, and three particular body parts. Jenkins's paper-collage animals, with their distinct coloration and body shapes, clearly showcase the property under discussion while reinforcing already established features. There is only one misstep. Much of the discussion of legs defines the appen-dage in terms of purpose (""Crickets have long back legs for jumping. Water boatmen have wide legs for paddling""), thus cutting off all inquiry about these features (and ""grasshoppers have legs for making music"" is simply incorrect). Suggested activities that extend the process of discovering and identifying insects conclude the book, thus indicating that learning continues long after the reading is completed. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
This super new title in the Let's-Read-And-Find-Out Science series encourages young children to look more closely at insects and think like scientists. Rockwell, who has written many fine nonfiction titles for preschool and kindergartners, is right on target with this "Stage 1" science title that asks children to think about what makes an insect and what makes a bug. She suggests, "Count its legs. Count how many parts make up its body." She explains all insects have exoskeletons, but not all creatures with exoskeletons are insects. She then defines insects: "anything with six legs and three body parts is an insect," and invites children to look carefully at a ladybug and a spider and decide if either or both is an insect or a bug or neither. A bug, she explains, "is an insect that has a mouth like a beak and a head that forms a triangle." She introduces a variety of other creepy crawlies and encourages children to count the body parts and legs and decide which are insects. Lastly, there are suggestions for finding out more and a list of all the insects pictured. Dramatic cut paper collage illustrations by Jenkins invite careful looking and ably extend the text. Eye-appealing and useful for beginning science enthusiasts and their parents as well. (Nonfiction. 4-7)
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
