TITLE: THE BEETLE BOOK
AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Steve Jenkins
PUBLICATION INFO: Houghton Mifflin, April 2012
ISBN: 978-0-547-68084-2
SOURCE: Library
INTENDED AUDIENCE: 4 and up, though this is more appropriate for elementary-school students
GENRE: picture book (nonfiction)
OPENING and SYNOPSIS: “Line up every kind of plant and animal on Earth … and one of every four will be a beetle.”
Beloved author/illustrator Steve Jenkins crafts an encyclopedic book about beetles.
THEMES/TOPICS: science, beetles, bugs/insects
WHY I LIKE THIS BOOK: Steve Jenkins’s illustrations reveal the beauty and diversity of the humble beetle. Unlike many of his other books, there is no narrative line, and he does not rely on layered text. This is a book to be savored, one spread at a time rather than read all at once.
RESOURCES/ACTIVITIES:
- Come spring time, try hatching your own beetles — ladybug beetles to be exact.
- PBS Kids has this beetle-drawing activity.
- This dung beetle lesson plan encourages kids to eat that dung and roll that dung (Milk Duds). Gross!
- The Web has a host of ladybug crafts.
- There are several sites with a collection of bug-focused activities. Check out A to Z Homes Cool Homeschooling.
Every Friday bloggers review “Perfect Picture Books.” Find a complete list of book reviews organized by topic, genre and blogger at author Susanna Leonard Hill’s site.