Bugs and Bugsicles: Insects in the Winter

Bugs and Bugsicles: Insects in the Winter

By Amy S. Hansen, Illustrations by Robert C. Kray, Boyds Mills Press, 2010, 32 pp., ISBN 978-1-59078-269-9, $17.95.

This is the author's version of a work that was submitted/accepted for publication in the following source:

Catholic Library World, Mar2011, Vol. 81 Issue 3, p.239.

 

Have you ever noticed that bugs seem to disappear during the winter? Where do they go? Bugs and Bugsicles answers this mystery for us. The writer, Amy Hansen, writes science for kids. She does a good job at explaining this mysterious process to kids. The clear writing of Hansen is enhanced by the beautiful illustrations of Robert C. Kray. Kray is both an artist and illustrator and his illustrations have been published in popular magazines like, Outdoor Life and others.

Hansen writes about the life cycle of eight different insects: Praying Mantis, Monarch butterfly, an Arctic Wooly Bear Caterpillar, ladybug, a field cricket, pavement ants, a honeybee, and a dragonfly. She tells how the cold winter weather challenges insects. She explains the different methods they seek to survive. Some of the bugs hide, others lay eggs and some even freeze. 

The intended audience is ages four through ten. Kray’s beautiful double-page acrylic illustrations complement Hansen’s prose. The illustrations bring the bugs to life. This would be a good book for elementary classrooms and story time in public libraries.  My only complaint is that the book would have better if it contained fewer words on each page. Overall, this is a wonderful book and I highly recommend it.