On The Move

The sky is a startling blue.  The sun is blinding-bright against the snow.  The temperature is in the low forties with a wind chill ten degrees higher than most of our temperatures the past several months.  When stepping outside a change is felt.  It is the whisper of spring.  

With spring, the smallest beings come awake.  They creep, crawl, hop, climb, and fly.  Sometimes, they find their way into our homes.  Sometimes, they interrupt our enjoyment outside.  And sometimes, they munch on our annuals, perennials, and vegetables.  Regardless, we are aware of their incredible abilities and value to our ecosystems.  Hustle Bustle Bugs (Little, Brown And Company, February 22, 2022) written by Catherine Bailey with pictures by Lauren Eldridge is an exploration and tribute to these creatures who share our world.

Secret cities buzz and bustle

with itty-bitty hard-work hustle.

If we really want to view what insects do, we need to look at them on their level.  We cannot be afraid to get low and close.  We can see carpenter ants chewing through wood no longer needed.  

Working in our gardens, ladybugs rid them of unwanted pests.  Grasshoppers work to keep growth under control.  Do you see termites guarding their nests from unwanted invaders?

Whether bugs are members of a team or individuals acting on their own, the results benefit the entire community.  Bees buzz together. Butterflies glide alone as do spiders weaving webs. 

Dusk and dark reveal other busy bugs.  Fireflies flash to signal an alarm.  Crickets create a symphony hoping to attract a mate.  No matter the weather or the time of day, insects are on the move.

In single (or two) sentences, two parts of a whole beckon readers with an inviting, upbeat rhyme written by Catherine Bailey.  Each of these factual sentences introduce readers to the value of each insect given focus.  These are then compared in separate sections on the same page to the actions of humans contributing to the success of our communities.  These analogies are a wonderful method of promoting understanding.  Here are two passages.

Ladybugs on patrol.

Polka-dot pest control.

Like police officers protecting

a neighborhood, ladybugs

protect flower and vegetable

gardens from aphids and other

tiny pests.

The open and matching dust jacket and book case clearly are a reflection of the title and contents of the book.  All of the featured creatures are about their daily activities.  The technique used as a placeholder for the author and illustrator names is employed for displaying the comparisons of the insect community to the human community within the interior of the title.  The scene on the front, right, continues across the spine to the left.  

On the back, the left, in the background are two little girls.  They are the explorers of the insect world seen in the illustrations.  Between them, they are carrying a notebook, a camera, and a magnifying glass.

Several plank boards, either a table, steps, or porch, provide the background on the opening and closing endpapers.  On the first set, we see on the left, insect identification cards, pine cones, caterpillars in a box of leaves, a magnifying glass, and a camera.  To the right are colored pencils and a notebook embossed with insect bodies.  On the second set, it is darker.  The notebook is on the left with pages torn and tattered sticking out from the covers.  The magnifying glass is on the right along with a roll of tape (used for securing the text), a moth, the insect identifying cards, the camera, and several picture slides of insects.

The title page is a double page picture.  It's a bug's eye view of earth along the bottom for the text.  Above that is grass alive with insects in action.  The two little girls are leaving their home for a day of discovery.

The remaining two-page images by artist Lauren Eldridge are spectacular, exhilarating settings.  They are replete with details; most of them as if we are within the images with the insects.  Lauren Eldridge painstakingly fashioned the insects and their environments by hand, using as much "found" materials as possible.  She photographed individual elements using

a Nikon D7200 with a 35mm lens, and the images were composited digitally.

One of my many favorite two-page pictures is at night.  On the left the two little girls are walking among the grass, daisies, and coneflowers.  One of them is pointing to the right.  Above the rhyming text on the left, a firefly glows.  On the right, a firefly is shown enlarged and close to use.  In the lower, right-hand corner another firefly glows.  To the left of that insect, the comparison text from a torn page is taped to the scene.

One word comes to mind after reading Hustle Bustle Bugs written by Catherine Bailey with pictures by Lauren Eldridge.  That word is AMAZING!  At the close of the book are two pages of further information, Fun Buggy Facts and Want to know more insider insect information? Check out these bug-tastic tidbits . . . To the left of the dedications and publication information is a wonderful explanatory A Note from the Artist.  Your personal and professional collections won't be complete without this title.

To learn more about Catherine Bailey and Lauren Eldridge, please follow the link attached to their names to access their websites.  Catherin Bailey has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Lauren Eldridge has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  This book is showcased with creator interviews at librarian, lecturer at Rutgers, and writer John Schumacher's Watch. Connect. Read. Please take a few moments to read the fascinating post at author Anitra Rowe Schulte's site about Lauren Eldridge's work, especially on this title. 

UPDATE:  This title is featured at Picture Book Builders on August 5, 2022.

February Nonfiction Picture Book Ten For Ten---Bees. Beetles. Bugs.

This represents the eighth year of the February Nonfiction Picture Book 10 for 10 #nf10for10.  This event continues through the efforts of Julie Balen (Twitter), an English teacher at Connecting to Learn, Cathy Mere (Twitter), a teacher leader, at Reflect & Refine: Building a Learning Community and Mandy Robek (Twitter), a second grade teacher, at Enjoy and Embrace Learning . I have previously participated featuring titles dinosaurs, individuals whose lives made a difference in human history, and birds.

On August 18, 2018 in the Picture Book August 10 for 10 #pb10for10 by subject was books featuring bees.  Since that date I have been looking for the best nonfiction titles about honeybees.  I have five here which I believe are excellent.  To round out the collection I chose five other notable insect books.




The Case of the Vanishing Honeybees:  A Scientific Mystery (Millbrook Press, August 1, 2013) by Sandra Markle

During this past spring and summer plants never having flowered before were covered in blossoms. Swarms of honeybees busily flew back and forth gathering nectar and pollen.  Sounds of their humming drifted on the air like the best kind of symphony.

Each year concern for the well-being of honeybees worldwide is ever increasing.  The front cover of Time magazine on August 19, 2013 featured an article titled A World Without Bees.  Our survival is closely entwined with their survival. Like the best kind of detective, Sandra Markle gathers clues, presenting readers with pertinent facts.

On a warm day in October 2006, Dave Hackenberg went to check on his workers.
Hackenberg is a beekeeper, and his workers are millions of honeybees.

What Hackenberg discovered was shocking.  Thousands of his bees were missing.  They had disappeared without a trace.

My full summary and recommendation for this title is here.


Bee: A Peek-Through Picture Book (Doubleday Books For Young Readers, January 31, 2017) written and illustrated by Britta Teckentrup

Page turn by page turn, die-cuts reveal layers as we follow a honeybee during one day.

Dawn is breaking on a brand-new day,
And in the meadow, poppies sway.

A bee appears, striped black and gold.
A wonder of nature is about to unfold.

A  complete description of the book is at the publisher's website.

At Brightly you can read about this title and the other titles in the Peek-Through Picture Book series.


Bees: A Honeyed History (Abrams Books for Young Readers, March 28, 2017) text by Wojciech Grajkowski, translation by Agnes Mened-Gayraud and illustrations by Piotr Socha

A through exploration of bees in information and images is presented here.  There is an abundance of details and humor in many of the illustrations.  This title has a large format, 10.5 by 14.5 trim size.  Every page turn, two pages are dedicated to a new topic.

HOW THE BEE CAME TO BE
Honey bees have existed for at least a hundred million years!  In other words, bees were already around when dinosaurs roamed Earth.  How can we be so sure?  It's all thanks to the discovery of a few flying insects fossilized in amber.  Some scientists believe that bees appeared even earlier, some 120 million years ago.  This was when plants were just beginning to develop their cleverest invention---the flower.

At the publisher's website you can read a thorough description of the book.  At Thames & Hudson you can view interior images.



They are rarely an inch long but can fly fifteen miles per hour.  Their wings are known to beat more than 200 times per second.  This is why we can hear them buzzing as they move from place to place.

We don't see them in the winter months as snow covers the ground, icy winds blow, and temperatures are chilly.  In fact, as soon as the temperatures fall below fifty degrees, bees return to the hive surrounding the queen.  With the movement of their wings they can heat their home and keep the queen warm.  They get their energy from the honey they've stored.

In her newest release, Beehive (A Paula Wiseman Book, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, January 7, 2020), Jorey Hurley speaks to readers in the simplest of terms, single words, about the formation of a honeybee home and how its inhabitants flourish.

buzz

My full summary and recommendation for this title is here.


Sometimes the life of a single being is so glorious, it takes your breath away.  The more you know about the days of their life, the more your admiration and respect increases.  You realize every moment of the hours of their existence is orchestrated for a greater good.  It's about survival not only for them, but for every other living being.

As humans, the more we take notice of the value of these beings, the better able we are to protect and preserve their place in our natural world.  Upon the first reading (and every reading thereafter) of Honeybee: The Busy Life Of Apis Mellifera (Neal Porter Books, Holiday House, February 4, 2020) written by Candace Fleming with art by Eric Rohmann, readers find themselves immersed in the life of a valued member of the hive, a female worker bee.  We are there for every day of her life and we are humbled by her accomplishments.

One summer morning deep in the nest,

a brand-new honeybee
     squirms,
       pushes,
         chews
through the wax cap of her solitary cell and into . . .
a teeming, trembling flurry.
Hummmmm!

My full summary and recommendation for this title is here.


As I may have stated before, every single one of us who has found the right book for the right reader at the right time knows, without a doubt, that books change lives.  From our own personal experience we treasure those titles evoking a change in our perception, adjusting our levels of tolerance, and leading us to definitions of absolute truths.  Those books which offer us the chance to change are not always works of fiction.

When I hold a book written and illustrated by Steve Jenkins in my hands, I am certain of being enriched in ways I am not expecting.  That being said, nothing could have prepared me for the impact of reading his newest title, The Beetle Book (Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, April 3, 2012).  Stunning visuals accentuated with astounding facts clearly place this volume in the category as one of the finest nonfiction books of 2012.

Line up every kind of plant and animal
on Earth . . .

. . . and one of every four will be a beetle.

My full summary and recommendation for this title is here.


Early this morning a flash of movement had me looking up and glancing out the picture window.  I saw her flying around as if trying to get my attention.  Was the lady trying to send me a message?  Light glowed through her tiny transparent wings. Before I could get close to her, she was gone.

The lilacs have blossomed and faded, the peonies are ready to burst forth in all their sweet-smelling glory and the lily shoots are about three inches tall.  Regardless of all this floral fanfare, she was the first ladybug of the spring to present herself to me.  In A Beetle Is Shy (Chronicle Books, April 5, 2016) the newest collaboration between author Dianna Hutts Aston and illustrator Sylvia Long, the Convergent Lady Beetle is one of twenty-eight featured insects.

A beetle is shy.
It begins its life inside an egg...
soft and wingless, tender,
protected by the roots of trees
and the undersides of leaves.

My full summary and recommendation for this title is here.


With the advent of lots of rain and the warm temperatures, summer is in full bloom in northern Michigan.  There is an abundance of critters of all shapes and sizes and flowers, shrubs and trees in the wild.  Gardeners are giddy with their flourishing vegetables, annuals and perennials.  The air is literally humming with the sounds of life, buzzing honeybees, chirping crickets, melodious birdsong and the unmistakable huffs of startled rabbits and deer.

The more we know about those creatures sharing this planet with us, the better we can protect and respect them.  Author illustrator Owen Davey released two new titles in his popular series about animals, Bonkers About Beetles (Flying Eye Books, May 1, 2018 UK and Nobrow, June 5, 2018 US) (National Science Teachers Association, 2019 Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students K-12) and Fanatical About Frogs (Flying Eye Books, March 1, 2019 UK and Nobrow, June 18, 2019 US).  Both books are entertaining and informative with stunning images.

WHAT ARE BEETLES?
Beetles are a group of insects.  They have six
legs, three body segments and two feelers sticking
out of their heads.  Beetles are different from
most other insects in that their forewings form
a hard or leathery protective case over their backs.

My full summary and recommendation for this title is here.


With the return of warmer weather joining the chorus of birdsong is the buzzing, humming and chirping of insects.  Creeping, crawling, jumping and flying through our world, integral to the completed whole, their place is assured whether deemed friend or foe.  Grateful we are then for the assistance provided by the small flash of red seen moving among our plants.

With more than 170 nonfiction books to her credit author/illustrator, Gail Gibbons, has most recently turned her attention to the world of Ladybugs (Holiday House, February 1, 2012).  Her never ending quest for answers to questions, her thirst for knowledge, educates readers about this popular bug.  No insect has claimed such appeal on clothing, jewelry, shoes, fabric, as a food decoration, costume design or even as fingernail decorations as have ladybugs.

A flower gently sways in the breeze.  A small bug is looking for food.  It's a ladybug.

My full summary and recommendation for this title is here.


The universe has a gift sometimes for bringing humor into a situation.  It's not every day you walk into your kitchen to run water into the sink and have the children's tune The Ants Go Marching One By One pop into your head.  This is exactly what happened yesterday and again this morning.  It seems lack of rain was bringing the wee critters into my home.  I politely asked them to leave.  Mother Nature replied to my request by providing a rain shower which ended the situation entirely.

Our planet is swarming with insects and invertebrates that make their homes inside and outside our residences.  For the most part sharing space with them is acceptable unless they create dangerous conditions for us.  The Big Book of Bugs (Thames & Hudson, April 18, 2016) written and illustrated by London-based author illustrator Yuval Zommer is brimming with facts and fun about insects and invertebrates.

Can you find...
...exactly the same fly 15 times in 
this book?  Watch out for imposters.

With these books my admiration grew for these smaller beings inhabiting our planet.  Their place is our world is vital.  It is my hope, you too, will see their worth.  I wish you all happy reading.

Ferocious, Forceful, Fantastic Bugs

In nine days, the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice, will be marked on calendars in the northern hemisphere.  We've had more than six inches of snow blanket the ground in the last 48 hours with more currently falling.  Below normal temperatures for several days this week and high winds formed sizable drifts.  At night animals are on the move as evidenced by their tracks and trails left in the snow, but there is a huge population of critters not visible this time of year.

Some of them are downright pesky and not missed at all, even though we know they are essential in the chain of life.  Others as evidenced by Insect Superpowers: 18 real bugs that smash, zap, hypnotize, sting, and devour! (Chronicle Books, November 5, 2019) written by Kate Messner with illustrations by Jillian Nickell are not only vital but display capabilities similar to champions of comics.  Their skills are astounding.

AN INSECT FAMILY TREE
All living organisms are identified using a system called biological classification, where they're organized based on common characteristics.  This organization starts big---by asking questions like, "Is it a plant, animal, or something else?"---and it gets more specific as it goes along.

Each category,

domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species

are explained in their most basic form and one insect, the Monarch Butterfly is used as an example, citing all eight classifications.  After these four pages, the superpower descriptors are divided into chapter headings,

Fast & Fierce
Great Imposters
Big & Tough
Masters of Chemical Weaponry
Engineers & Architects and
Amazing Ants.

Within these chapters each featured insect is given a superpower name based upon their performances.

You would think with a name like robber fly this insect is some kind of super sleuth but it's a speed demon when in flight.  If you are its unfortunate prey, you are doomed to become a liquid form of food.  Did you know the six-spotted tiger beetle can move faster than five miles per hour?  There is a bug clever enough to mimic an orchid and lure in unsuspecting food.  Its powerful jaws allow it to feast on other insects three times its size.  If you think the only reason fireflies, especially the females, flash their light is to find a mate, you'll be shocked by the behavior of one species.  If you are a male Photinus ignitus, take flight and avoid the light.

There is a grasshopper, Little Barrier Island giant weta, residing in New Zealand.  As the

heaviest insect in the world 

it tips the scale at 35 grams or .077 pounds.  That's one big bug!  It scares rats away by lifting its wicked-looking hind legs.  The black and white shell of the Texas Ironclad beetle is so hard a drill is sometimes necessary to pierce its shell when scientists are studying a deceased bug.  And you won't believe what someone did to the shell of one of these living beetles.  Can you imagine a bug that can shoot a toxic mixture out its rear at five hundred to one thousand bursts per second?  Beware the African bombardier beetle.  If you were a specific termite living in Australia your face is your best weapon, shooting out a gooey glue to immobilize attacking ants.

There is a bug that builds holes in sand to trap food, one that farms fungus and another that confuses its predator by emitting its own sonar sound.  Many of us are aware ant bites can be itchy and achy but one ant, the Bullet ant, has an extremely painful sting.  The final noted insect, Siafu ant, has terrifying jaws.  They travel in troops of millions . . . yes, millions.  Nothing is safe in their path.  The talents of these insects are terrifying, especially to other insects and wild and domestic creatures, but you can't, nonetheless, resist being astonished and give them their due respect.


Through her careful research, author Kate Messner presents facts in multiple ways to appeal to a variety of readers.  For each insect we learn their:

common name,
aliases,
super-scientific name,
trademark features,
size (metric),
secret hideout, 
superpower,
favorite food,
allies and
archenemy.

By selecting these words, she is keeping to the superhero theme.  In other text boxes each insect's characteristics and defining actions are portrayed.  Sometimes a probable scenario is showcased with step-by-step action.  Captivating anecdotes provide unforgettable information.  Here are some passages.

THE DECAPITATOR
A raiding gang
of Asian giant
hornets have been
known to wipe out
a nest of tens
of thousands of 
honeybees in a 
couple of hours. 

The hornets use their powerful mandibles to tear
the bees apart, often ripping off heads, legs, and 
wings.  Then the hornets carry the bees' larvae
back to the nest, chew them into balls, and feed
them to the hornet larvae.


The front and back of the open book case has huge reader appeal.  The layout and design are an introduction to the comic book, graphic novel, use of panels.  The image on the front is a display of six of the eighteen insects.  To the left, on the back, the Asian giant hornet is showcased within several text boxes along with striking images.  Information about Kate Messner and Jillian Nickell, which would normally appear on the back dust jacket flap, is shown here.

On the left front and back right of the end papers are superpower rays shooting out from the gutter in yellow and green hues.  The pages opposite these are first, the title page and second, at the end, the publication information.  These, in the front, are followed by two pages dedicated to the Contents.  

Rendered in ink and copic marker the full-color illustrations by Jillian Nickell are vibrant and bold.  Panels for text are placed within, above and below illustrative panels.  Geometrically shaped panels house insects which look as though they are going to burst off the pages.

We are brought close to the action.  Sound effect words are large and highly expressive.  Small ribbons further emphasize superpowers with appropriate visuals as well as the insect's archenemy.  So well-portrayed are these insects, it's hard to believe they are not real superheroes, but readers will find themselves grateful they are not the size of humans.

One of my many favorite illustrations is the first page for the Hercules beetle.  Its superhero name is THE WEIGHT LIFTER.  Two text boxes in yellow present seven short facts.  Between these the beetle rises looking like a giant.  Blue and white rays spread out from the center in the background.  The enlarged beetle, which can be seven inches long (180mm), is standing tall and holding a large barbell in its mandibles.


Whether a reader is a fan of bugs or not, this book, Insect Superpowers: 18 real bugs that smash, zap, hypnotize, sting, and devour! written by Kate Messner with illustrations by Jillian Nickell, will keep them reading, probably in a single sitting.  At the close of the book, a question,

Could super insects take over the world someday?

leads to a discussion by the author.  This is followed by a list of books and websites.  These bugs are a part of our world.  The more we know about them, the easier it is to understand their purpose.  This book is a wonderful resource for your personal and professional collections.  It's easy to see this book as a read aloud in a classroom setting or a book group or as a part of an insect unit.

To learn more about Kate Messner and Jillian Nickell and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  Kate Messner has accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  Jillian Nickell has accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.


Please take a few moments to view the titles selected this week by other participants in the 2019 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge by visiting Kid Lit Frenzy hosted by educator Alyson Beecher.

Creeping, Crawling, Flying, Swimming, Jumping Into Our Lives

The universe has a gift sometimes for bringing humor into a situation.  It's not every day you walk into your kitchen to run water into the sink and have the children's tune The Ants Go Marching One By One pop into your head.  This is exactly what happened yesterday and again this morning.  It seems lack of rain was bringing the wee critters into my home.  I politely asked them to leave.  Mother Nature replied to my request by providing a rain shower which ended the situation entirely.

Our planet is swarming with insects and invertebrates that make their homes inside and outside our residences.  For the most part sharing space with them is acceptable unless they create dangerous conditions for us.  The Big Book Of Bugs (Thames & Hudson, April 18, 2016) written and illustrated by London-based author illustrator Yuval Zommer is brimming with facts and fun about insects and invertebrates.

Can you find . . .
. . .exactly the same fly 15 times in
this book?  Watch our for imposters.

With this challenge on the title page readers begin to seek and find fascinating information in the twenty-six two-page chapters.  First an explanation and comparison of invertebrates and insects is offered.  This is followed by suggestions of places to spy bugs and the importance of respecting them.  A further breakdown of similarities and differences between insects, snails and slugs, spiders, centipedes and millipedes and worms is given.

In many of the chapters, in addition to a series of amazing characteristics for each group, we are asked to locate a specific bug (s) engaged in an activity.  Two dung beetles are rolling poo into big balls.  We need to find them among all the other creatures busily moving among the foliage on the two-page first section dedicated to beetles.  Have you ever seen a ladybug without spots?

Do the wings on butterflies or moths feel like dust?  Which one prefers to flit about at night?  Wow!  A queen ant has been known to live for fifteen years!  Bees communicate locations with a special dance.  Termites keep cool in their huge towers even in the heat as it rises out through a chimney.  Flies and dragonflies creatively search for food with particular skills; multiple eye lenses (4000) and large eyes for seeing into the distance.

Small birds, amphibians and mammals will probably give a giant centipede a wide berth; especially if one is hungry.  Did you know that crickets and grasshoppers do not make their songs in the same manner?  In praying mantis's circles the female is larger than her male counterpart making him a tasty meal for her.  Earthworms can sense danger uniquely.

After discussing a variety of insects and invertebrates Zommer highlights bug beginnings, how bugs move, bugs living inside our homes, the benefits of bugs and establishing outside places specifically for these creatures. In case we may not have found all fifteen flies, their whereabouts are shown at the end.  Two pages showcase becoming familiar with vocabulary.  To close this exemplary title, an index is included.

For each of the two-page chapters Yuval Zommer poses a question or gives us a partial statement.  He follows with easily understood answers and sentences.  Those truths he selects to share with readers are captivating; between four and seven per section.  Here are some samples.

Some moths have "pretend" eyes
The big spots on an owl moth's wings
look like eyes and scare enemies.

They are bad flyers
Crickets and grasshoppers have two
pairs of wings, but most aren't good
at flying.  And some can't fly at all.

A beetle with a snorkel
A water scorpion can float to
the surface and take in air
through a tube.


When you open the book case of this title, the array of expressive, spirited insects and invertebrates spreads across the spine to the back on the left.  Yuval Zommer adds a mosquito flying above the crowd and a spider dropping down on a string of silk.  If you, the reader, look at each bug carefully you will discover a bit of comedy, a smidgen of glee in every one.  A pale blue, cloud-like effect provides a canvas on the opening and closing endpapers.  Zommer has a group of honey bees moving through the center first and at the conclusion flying off the pages.

In the illustrations the intricate and exquisite lines along with the shades of color are spectacular.  Zommer layers many, many tiny parts to create a type of collage.  You have to stop at every page turn to fully appreciate these fabulous pictures.  The experience for readers is more tactile due to the heavier matte-finished paper used in this book.

The variety of settings keeps readers completely engaged.  On the first two pages his "bugs" are leaving the pages of an open book.  Bright-colored tennis shoes and the bottom portion of blue jeans are seen walking among these critters as tools used to document what has been found and seen are nearby. Trees, leaves, flowers, a window sill, tiny tunnels beneath a sandy mound, honey bee hives, tall termite towers, a picnic, a pond, and underground are all part of this marvelous volume.

One of my many favorite illustrations is for pond bugs.  On the surface of the pond a paper boat fashioned from a newspaper page floats as a snail crawls up the point, a bug sits on the edge and dragonflies come in for a landing.  Bugs glide on the water's surface.  Bugs swim, dive and scoot underwater through the seaweed, along pebbles and rocks and the sandy bottom.


I can't imagine a professional or personal shelf without a copy of this beautiful, informative nonfiction picture book. The Big Book of Bugs written and illustrated by Yuval Zommer is a celebration of our natural world.  I would plan on multiple copies.  Bug expert Barbara Taylor is named as a consultant.

To learn more about Yuval Zommer please follow the link attached to his name.  At The Guardian Children's books page, Yuval Zommer visits to provide colorful instructions in How to draw...bugs.

UPDATE:  Enjoy this short book trailer and see interior images come to life. 

Explore @yuvalzommer & Barbara Taylor's extraordinary Big Book of Bugs! https://t.co/Bcbqle9Yc9 #illustratedbooks pic.twitter.com/eNCPWAVRSz

— Thames & Hudson (@ThamesHudsonUSA) June 30, 2016

It is a distinct pleasure each week to participate in the 2016 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge hosted by educator Alyson Beecher at Kid Lit Frenzy.  Please visit this site to see what titles were selected this week by other participating bloggers.

Bugged

Early this morning a flash of movement had me looking up and glancing out the picture window.  I saw her flying around as if trying to get my attention.  Was the lady trying to send me a message?  Light glowed through her tiny transparent wings. Before I could get close to her, she was gone.

The lilacs have blossomed and faded, the peonies are ready to burst forth in all their sweet-smelling glory and the lily shoots are about three inches tall.  Regardless of all this floral fanfare, she was the first ladybug of the spring to present herself to me.  In A Beetle Is Shy (Chronicle Books, April 5, 2016) the newest collaboration between author Dianna Hutts Aston and illustrator Sylvia Long, the Convergent Lady Beetle is one of twenty-eight featured insects.

A beetle is shy.
It begins its life inside an egg...
soft and wingless, tender,
protected by the roots of trees
and the undersides of leaves.

From this quiet beginning the egg changes into a larva four different times, each one larger.  It progresses to the pupa and then to the beautiful beetle.  The variety of color found in beetles likens them to a kaleidoscope if they were gathered together.

If you are exploring in one of several South American locations, you might encounter a beetle as large as your hand. *gulp* Coming up to North America you would need assistance to see one of the smallest known beetles.  It's only three one hundredths of an inch in size.

Beetles are specially equipped to travel, perform their jobs and search for food.  Their legs and toes are designed for a certain purpose; flattened or long and slender or ready for springing up in a leap.  Communication methods rely on smell, sound and light.

To protect themselves beetles can blend in with their surroundings, shoot out harmful substances, and pretend to be something they are not.  They are known to assist in making plants healthier or causing them irreparable damage.

Beetles shared the planet with dinosaurs and have wings acting as shields for their inner flight wings and abdomens.  They are survivors.  They remind us to be thankful for the exquisite creatures sharing this planet with us.


In this title, as in the five previous books, Dianna Hutts Aston showcases a series of statements about beetles.  Some are fairly simple,

A beetle is kaleidoscopic.

Others are a little more complex,

A beetle is helpful...
or harmful.

Following each observation are one or more paragraphs in support of her initial sentence.  In this way we are informed but enveloped in her poetic writing style.  Here is another sample passage, one of eleven with one additional paragraph.

A beetle is telegraphic.
... Fireflies communicate by bioluminescence,
or glowing lights.  They flash their signals
to attract a mate, defend their territory,
and warn away predators.


In this title the watercolor illustrations by Sylvia Long are stunning in their delicacy and detail.  Her bugs are beautiful!  The "wheel" of beetles on the front of the matching dust jacket and book case crosses the spine and a similar form, a partial arc of insects, appears on the back from the center to the upper left-hand corner.  The crisp white background here welcomes our attention to the array of colors to be found on beetles. The opening and closing endpapers are a pattern taken from the outer wings of a beetle; a pale orange with irregular-shaped brown spots.

With a page turn all twenty-eight beetles featured here are pictured on two pages.  At the close of the book, the illustration is identical except each insect is named.  An extreme close-up of two beetles frames the bottom and top of the verso and title pages respectively.  It's a very clever use of their antennae.

Alternating between two-page larger images and single page pictures bordered in white paired with shifting perspectives, Long elevates the text and our appreciation for beetles.  At times an element in her pictures will extend beyond the boundary of the frame.  Each illustration is uniquely different but together they create a splendid portfolio.  Careful readers will notice Long starts and ends the title with the passage of time not only for the beetle but the plant on which it is placed.

One of my favorite pictures is of three Water-gliding Rove Beetles.  We are given a close-up view of them as if we are looking down on the water.  Their movement is shown with shaded hues of blue-green extending from their legs.  A portion of shoreline and overhanging leaves gives us a sense of their size.


Regardless of whether you are a bug-lover or not, A Beetle Is Shy written by Dianna Hutts Aston with illustrations by Sylvia Long is to be valued for the information, writing and exquisite illustrations.  It's a must have for your personal and professional shelves.  You might want to pair it with The Beetle Book by Steve Jenkins.

You will want to follow the links attached to Dianna Hutts Aston's and Sylvia Long's names to access their websites.  When we know more about an author or an illustrator and their other work our admiration grows.


Please be sure to visit Kid Lit Frenzy hosted by Alyson Beecher to read about the titles selected by bloggers participating in the 2016 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge this week.

Bug Me...Number Three

As I may have stated before, every single one of us who has found the right book for the right reader at the right time knows, without a doubt, that books change lives.  From our own personal experience we treasure those titles evoking a change in our perception, adjusting our levels of tolerance, and leading us to definitions of absolute truths.  Those books which offer us the chance to change are not always works of fiction.

When I hold a book written and illustrated by Steve Jenkins in my hands, I am certain of being enriched in ways I am not expecting.  That being said, nothing could have prepared me for the impact of reading his newest title, The Beetle Book (Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, April 3, 2012).  Stunning visuals accentuated with astounding facts clearly place this volume in the category as one of the finest nonfiction books of 2012.

Using a stark white canvas for his jacket and cover illuminating a single beetle (rose chafer beetle) on the front and twenty-six others fitted together across the back, Jenkins challenges readers to really look at what might be right in front of their eyes. His torn-and cut-paper collage illustrations are painstakingly formed in detailed accuracy.  Even the book's title appears as if a label on a naturalist's bug collection box. 

Endpapers swirl with looping spots patterned like leaves or bark colored in shades of green, red and an antique gold.  Following in the front are two bold orange-red pages with the title information written in white within a beetle silhouette on the left as on the right a huge head with open jaws hovers over the tile tag.  These colored pages are repeated in the back as background for a list of each beetle's scientific name, where in the world they live and if not noted in the body of the book, their size.

Jenkins begins his narrative:

Line up every kind of plant and animal on Earth...
...and one of every four will be a beetle.

 
Continuing with white pages throughout readers are treated to beetle variations, beetle basics as part of the insect family and the parts found on each and every beetle.  Evolving at about the same time as the dinosaurs adaptions by beetles assisting in their survival are disclosed.   During his information impartment Jenkins shows the beetles enlarged in color but black silhouettes reveal the actual size. 

Beetles senses are keener and more unusual; delicate antennae of the feather-horn beetle make it aware of chemical signals from other beetles, tufts of hair on the body of the African jewel beetle protect it from predators through vibration and the whirligig beetle has four eyes, two for the surface of the water it skims and two for looking underneath the water.  I will never look at those quite the same way again.  Beetles battle with body parts and unique systems of chemical protection.

Stages of life, common and unusual, are disclosed; a female giraffe weevil will lay a single egg in a leaf rolled up like a tube by the male.  As eating habits, vegetarian and carnivore, are related I am certainly glad not to be a part of the beetle world inhabited by the six-spotted green tiger beetle.  Use of sound and light to signal and protect are more characteristic in some beetles than in others.
Continuing with a discussion on camouflage and methods of movement, Jenkins concludes with amazing facts about the  smallest and largest beetles and their parts. 

As a Caldecott Honor award winner in collaboration with his wife, Robin Page, in 2004 for What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?, Steve Jenkins has set himself apart with twenty-eight titles including The Beetle Book due to his distinctive artwork coupled with an intriguing array of factual text arranged to invite and educate.  His ability to zoom in and focus with intent on any given subject is truly gifted.  Readers will learn things they never knew they wanted to know but will be glad they now do.  I think I've become a beetle person; read this and you will too.

Enjoy Steve Jenkins's website by following the link to his name at the beginning of this post.  Connect to this link for one of several interviews at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  As a member of Literacyhead you can have access to other resources on Steve Jenkins; lessons on art and literacy using his books.  A discussion guide has been prepared at this link.

Bug Me...Number Two

Anywhere you glance casually or carefully this time of year, you will see them in all shapes and sizes, in the air, among the greenery or beneath the dirt.  Sometimes you may hear, feel, smell or taste (yuck) them first but make no mistake they are there, in staggering numbers. Amazing, intriguing, beautiful, pesky, frightful and downright gross, bugs are busy.

The twosome that brought readers the popular Cars Galore (2011) Peter Stein, author and Bob Staake, illustrator,  have thankfully returned in Bugs Galore (Candlewick Press).  Pages literally crawl with the critters as they move among girls and boys and jaunty phrases.

Big bugs, small bugs,
creep bugs, crawl bugs.
Sky bugs, land bugs,
slime-your-hand bugs!

Four line verses create a cadence akin to their buggy voices asking readers to dig and peek, look and seek, with caution and courage.  Stein's poetic text creates a mindful tour through the world of bug emotion (mean bugs, kind bugs, time-to-flee bug), bug habitat (mud safari), bug travel (cruise in groups, swimming skim bug), bug names (love bugs, bedbugs) and the time of day when some bugs shine (nighttime show bugs).  Closing with a question, he requests of readers a pause to ponder, how a bug might view our place in his domain.

With a book jacket the twin of its cover, Bob Staake attracts readers with his highly stylized illustrations; colorful, eccentric, bursting with feeling and life. Creamy endpapers patterned in happy, spring green bugs of every variety will bring smiles.  Each of these double page layouts pictures a boy and a girl done in his delightful depiction of large round faces with expressive wide eyes; curiosity, wonder, hesitation, fear, disgust and the absolute joy of discovery and observation is evident.

Staake's digitally designed denizens populate all the nooks and crannies of his two page spreads.  Readers will recognize many but his added details are guaranteed to elicit exclamations if not explosions of laughter; bugs wearing top hats, ties or crowns, some have checked or plaid bodies, red-and-white striped unicorn like noses, or another deep in a hole lounging while watching BUGZ on a television.  These imaginative visuals not only provide the perfect compliment to Stein's words but are sparks for igniting readers' inventiveness; you have to love the "what-ifs" they generate.

Bugs Galore written by Peter Stein and illustrated by Bob Staake will tease and tickle your senses as pages teeming with motion envelope readers.  Repeat readings are a given; the compulsion to do so can not be ignored.  Start saving your pennies for one of those insect boxes.

Candlewick Press has a very nice Read To Us Story-Hour Kit  for several stories including Bugs Galore.  Julie Danielson at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast has an extensive interview well worth reading with Bob Staake.

Bug Me...Number One

With the return of warmer weather joining the chorus of birdsong is the buzzing, humming and chirping of insects.  Creeping, crawling, jumping and flying through our world, integral to the completed whole, their place is assured whether deemed friend or foe.  Grateful we are then for the assistance provided by the small flash of red seen moving among our plants.

With more than 170 nonfiction books to her credit author/illustrator, Gail Gibbons, has most recently turned her attention to the world of Ladybugs (Holiday House, February 1, 2012).  Her never ending quest for answers to questions, her thirst for knowledge, educates readers about this popular bug.  No insect has claimed such appeal on clothing, jewelry, shoes, fabric, as a food decoration, costume design or even as fingernail decorations as have ladybugs.

Leading off with some general observations, next the side and top of the body are closely examined with the parts labeled appropriately.  Little known facts, at least to me, are shared; these small little creatures populate six of our seven continents numbering close to 5,000 different kinds.  Four hundred seventy five alone can be found in North America.

Devoting several pages to each, Gibbons explores the four stages of growth.  Interesting facts are overlaid on her illustrations as text along the bottom offers further explanation.   Did you know eggs are laid among aphids so the hatched larvae can feed, larvae eat until their outer covering splits several times prior to becoming a pupa and within an hour of emerging from the pupa casing a ladybug's spots began to show?

Three ways of keeping safe from enemies is disclosed as is how protection is sought in colder weather.  Six pages cover the benefits of using ladybugs in agriculture.  Gibbons closes with eight little squares of trivia.

This may very well be one of my favorite Gail Gibbons books. There are so many to love not only for the information found in each but the engaging, colorful illustrations but Ladybugs stands out.  The jacket and matching cover make a complete visual when unfolded, using hues which send a clear invitation to open the book.  Solid color endpapers are done in the brilliant red-pink found on the jacket and cover.

Most of the information is shown on pictures which extend across two pages.  Each illustration zooms in on the ladybugs's world among their natural habitat.  Using varied shades of green, pinks, yellows and purples against swirls of sky blues readers will want to reach out and touch the pages. (Believe me, I did.)  But when Gibbons wanted to change perspective in the presentation of her facts, a single page was divided into threes; discussing what ladybugs do in the season of winter.

Ladybugs by Gail Gibbons is a dazzling display of carefully researched details set among equally vibrant illustrations.  It should be added to any professional (library or classroom) collection; a copy is now sitting on my personal bookshelves.  Gail Gibbons has teaching guides at her web site linked above.  Here is a link to the Enchanted Learning page with some clever follow-up activities about ladybugs.