Common Sense Media Review
By Regan McMahon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Makes looking at bugs look exciting, gets kids outdoors.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 4+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
SOME BUGS shows all kinds of insects and points out their different characteristics in simple rhyming verse. "Some bugs STING./ Some bugs BITE./ Some bugs STINK./ And some bugs FIGHT!" Scale is provided by placing the insects in settings with plants, logs, a picnic basket, or flower pot, where they're observed by larger creatures: a cat, raccoon, bird, mole, and little kid.
Is It Any Good?
Some Bugs does a fantastic job of introducing kids to the world of insects. By focusing on what a bug does -- flutter, crawl, roll up in a ball, hop, glide, swim, hide, etc. -- the book gets kids interested in the actions they can observe, rather than focusing on the insects' names. Yet each insect is identified on a busy two-page spread at the back.
The colorful mixed-media spreads (in some ways reminiscent of the more spare Eric Carle books) draw readers in and should inspire kids to get outside and look for bugs in their own backyard, neighborhood, or park.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about bugs. Do you like bugs or think they're creepy-crawly?
What are your favorite insects? Are any of your favorites pictured in Some Bugs? What's your favorite picture in the book? Why?
Go outside and get down low to observe some bugs. Ask a grown-up for permission -- and maybe for help on your bug hunt. You don't need a magnifying glass to see most bugs, but you might want to bring one along to see them better..
Book Details
- Author: Angela DiTerlizzi
- Illustrator: Brendan Wenzel
- Genre: Picture Book
- Book type: Non-Fiction
- Publisher: Beach Lane Books
- Publication date: March 4, 2014
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 4 - 8
- Number of pages: 32
- Available on: Paperback, Nook, Hardback, Kindle
- Last updated: September 25, 2020
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