Bonkers about Beetles

 Beetles are some of my very favorite kinds of insects.  I was thrilled to get my hands on this Owen Davey's book all about them!  

Bonkers About Beetles

Owen Davey 2023

Other books by Owen Davey:

Obsessive About Octopuses

New Japanese Picturebooks

 While in Japan we found some wonderful bookstores.  (I always seek those out wherever I travel!).  Of course I bee-lined to the children's sections!  It was neat seeing familiar picture books but in Japanese.  And I loved seeing Japanese authors and illustrators that I was unfamiliar with.  Some things are cross-cultural in children's books, like bright engaging drawings and cute characters.  I ended up bringing these two books home because even though I couldn't read any of the Japanese text, I could still tell and enjoy what the story was.  Isn't that a sign of a good picture book?

There are so many things that are cute in Japanese culture.  "Kawaii" is absolutely everywhere, even in the food!  This first book I believe features a naughty watermelon who refuses to be cut.  And the second book follows adorable bugs on their journey home (google translate revealed a father and son bug who take a snail taxi to the grandmother's house.)

Watermelon-kun

Kazuhiko Toyota 2010

and

A Snail Taxi

Tamura Shigeru 1998

This is my favorite picture with the stag beetle!

The Bug Club

There's still a part of me that wants to be an entomologist.  I've never lost my love of bugs since I was 10 years old.  Apparently Elise Gravel hasn't either!  Her adorable bug pictures accompany facts and interesting information about the most populous creatures on earth.

The Bug Club

Elise Gravel 2022

Check out her mushroom book too!

Snug House, Bug House

 Sometimes books just tickle your fancy.  Like this one about a group of bugs finding a tennis ball and turning it into a house.  It's an easy reader with action words and the progression of steps the bugs take to build their home.  I like how each bug has their own room suited to their personality!  My six year old niece loves bugs so this one is going to her!

Snug House, Bug House
Susan Schade and Jon Buller 1994

What's Inside a Caterpillar Cocoon?

 Another fabulously illustrated book by Rachel Ignotofsky.  We absolutely love her other science books.  This one is all about moths and butterflies, their differences, their life cycles, their defense mechanisms, etc.  All accompanied by thrilling artwork displaying the shapes and colors seen in nature (and a few friendly smiling faces as well!)

What's Inside a Caterpillar Cocoon?

Rachel Ignotofsky 2023