On Beyond Bugs! All About Insects
by
Tish Rabe
Summary: This is a very cute nonfiction book all about insects. The Cat in the Hat and his friends give readers an up close view of life as a bug. Readers learn how insects see, communicate, smell, and pollinate. They also see how much of a pests some bugs can be but all in all make life better for us here on earth.
Evaluation: This is a wonderful nonfiction book about insects. It teaches young children interesting facts about insects through rhyme and bright illustrations. For example,
Watch these honey bees and I am sure you'll agree that these bees are as busy as busy can be! Worker bees collect food and they keep the hive clean. They protect it from danger and wait on their queen. She must stay in one place. It is her job to lay dozens and dozens of eggs every day.
The pictures do an amazing job of depicting what the words are saying. The illustration that goes along with this picture is of a big bee happily laying on her side eating while she is surrounded by smaller bees with fake stick guns and other bees are cleaning up with brooms around her.
It is a great beginning middle reader because it has minimal words on each page, which are larger print and they are spread out so the child will not get over whelmed when reading. When it comes to the hard words such as chrysalis it has a glossary in the back to help them understand and pronounce the word.
The topic is right on target for its age group of 5-8 years old. Most boys and some girls are fascinated by insects. Even my 4 year old has asked me why fly's buzz. This book gives the young reader the interesting facts without boring them. Being a Cat in the Hat book also might capture the attention of young readers who normally would not read a book about insects. The pictures draw the reader in and rhyme keep the reader engaged.
Overall there is nothing negative that I can say about this book. I would highly recommend it!
