by J. Patrick Lewis
Illustrated by Kelly Murphy
Photographs by Fred Suskind
36 pages; ages 6-10
WordSong (Boyds Mills Press) 2013
April is a great month for poetry - and a great month for bugs. So why not combine the two? Children's Poet Laureate J. Patrick Lewis invites us into the world of insects, where we visit a museum built by bugs, for bugs, of bugs... and where we get to meet them eye-to-bug eye.
Lewis has a poem for everyone: the porcupine-ish Hickory Horned Devil; the Carpenter Bee - seeking a neighborhood where the wood's so good; spiders, butterflies, stink bugs, dragonflies, caterpillars... even the annoying and very noisy cicada.
Fred Suskind accompanies each poem with a close up face-shot. We get to see the jaws that bite, the claws that catch... From cute and fuzzy to "don't touch" spiky, we get a close-up view of faces only a bug mother could love.
Then there's the story. Kelly Murphy's drawings show the antics of two beetle buddies visiting the museum. They drill holes in the walls, tease the cicada, create a stink in the "guess that smell" gallery, and share a snack in the gift shop.
Fortunately, the bugs get to speak for themselves. Each featured insect gets its own bio at the back, complete with a photo - this one of the whole bug. The insects tell where they live, how they grow up, what they eat and what eats them.
This post is part of STEM Friday round-up. Review copy provided by the publisher.
I spotted this one, too. Too fun!
ReplyDeleteYou have been getting some great books to review.