Insect picture book recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.
(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Insect Picture Books– https://amzn.to/3RfLIPc .)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
Log Life (Tiny Habitats)
by Amy Hevron (Author, Illustrator)
Brief summary: This book is a narrative nonfiction that educates young readers about the life cycle of a giant fir tree that falls to the ground and transforms into a nurse log. As the log slowly decays in the forest, it becomes a source of nourishment for fungi, plants, insects, animals, and birds throughout the first year until it completely decomposes many decades later.
Comments: I had never heard of the term “nurse log” before and found it fascinating to learn about what happens to a fallen tree.
The illustrations were created using acrylic, marker, and pencil on Bristol board and then digitally collaged.
The back sections are More About Nurse-Log Habitats, Selected Sources, and Additional Reading.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Milkweed for Monarchs
by Christine Van Zandt (Author), Alejandra Barajas (Illustrator)
Brief summary: There are two types of text teaching readers about monarch butterflies. There is a lyrical, rhyming text and informative text boxes on each page.
Monarchs migrate back north after it warms to lay eggs on milkweed plants. We learn the stages of the butterfly from egg to adult.
Comments: The back sections include the Author’s Note, Monarchs Need Our Help, How You Can Help, Fun Facts, The Senses, and Selected Bibliography.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The Wonderful Wisdom of Ants
by Philip Bunting (Author)
Brief summary: The ant’s life cycle and fun facts are explained in this nonfiction book for kids. Each ant has a role in the colony.
Comments: Nonfiction texts often include helpful features that aid in understanding the information presented. These features may include charts, diagrams, captions, and labels.
I really enjoyed the puns and humorous language used in the text.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Butterfly on the Wind
by Adam Pottle (Author), Ziyue Chen (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Aurora is feeling nervous the day before her talent show. Sitting in her family’s garden, she practices hand-signing for the play she wrote. While she’s rehearsing, a butterfly lands on a flower and Aurora signs “butterfly,” creating a small wind. This little wind continues to other children around the world, who all start signing “butterfly” too, and the wind grows stronger. Will this wind help Aurora on the day of her talent show?
Comments: An Author’s Note and an ASL chart are in the back.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The Girl Who Loves Bugs
by Lily Murray (Author), Jenny Løvlie (Illustrator)
Summary: Evie loves picking up insect species and other creepy crawlies. She enjoys looking at them with her magnifying glass and putting them in her pockets. Her family does not share her passion and tells her to leave them, as it’s time to go home.
Evie decides to take them inside and place them in her room.
Her extended family comes to visit the next day. What could possibly go wrong?
Comments: The illustrations are digital. The back pages share ideas for helping bugs and a brief biological sketch of Evelyn Cheesman, an entomologist who inspired the book.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The Bumblebee Garden
by Dawn Casey (Author), Stella Lim (Illustrator)
Summary: Ben and his grandpa spot a bumblebee in the garden. Grandpa educates his grandson about the bumblebee’s life cycle, explaining its activities in each season as the book unfolds.
Comments: There is a back section titled The Life Cycle of a Queen Bumblebee.
The illustrations were handcrafted using watercolor and colored pencils, finishing with digital methods.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.