The Bug Scientists by Donna M. Jackson, 2002, Houghton Mifflin.
A professional bug scientist is an entomologist. Some entomologists in this book are as strange as the insects they study. Imagine going to the cricketspitting contest at Purdue University created by Professor Tom Turpin. Some forensic entomologists like Valerie Cervenka work with the police to study insects at crime scenes. Entomologist Steven Kutcher directs insects in Hollywood movies like James and the Giant Peach. Find out how these and other people first became interested in bugs. Watch for the bug actors the next time you see a movie.
Sleep tight and don’t let the bedbugs bite. But they just might! Bugs are everywhere on and around us. Mosquitoes, lice, fleas, ticks and dust mites may be attacking you and your pets. Some bugs spread major diseases that cause plagues. Discover ways that scientists are finding to battle bugs. This book will leave you itching to know more about the bugs on your body!
Insects: Biggest! Littlest! by Sandra Markle, 2009, Boyds Mills Press.
Stink or shield bugs are little but have a mighty smell to ward off predators. The giant stick Insect, almost 2 feet long, is so big most predators can’t fit it in their mouths. The pea aphid could fit on the head of a pin. The elephant weevil has a long, snout- shaped head to drill into plants for food. The Hercules beetle’s big size helps when fighting for mates. Check the map to find out where in the world these biggest and littlest insects can be found.
Bugs Up Close by Diane Swanson, 2007, Kids Can Press.
When you see insects up close, you see that they have hard coverings called exoskeletons instead of skeletons like ours. Insects can molt or shed this outer covering. They haves spiracles rather than lungs . The bigger-thanlife photos in this book let you look right into the eyes of insects. You can examine the patterns on their wings. Inspect insect antennae and pincers. See the tiny leg hairs of bees as they hold pollen. Watch out for the wasp’s stinger!
Insect Eaters by Bobbie Kalman, 2009, Crabtree Publishing.
What’s for dinner? If you are an insect, it might be you! Insect eaters are called insectivores. Some plants, like the Venus flytrap, eat insects. Can you find other insect-eating plants? Spiders trap insects in their webs, while frogs use their long, sticky tongues to catch insects. What other animals use sticky tongues to do this? Many birds are insectivores and use their sharp beaks to find and catch insects. Think about how woodpeckers get insects from under tree bark. Discover how you might be an insectivore, too.
Bugs That Build by Cari Jackson, 2009, Marshall Cavendish Benchmark.
Did you ever make a tent? Tent caterpillars make their tents in trees. Do you have air conditioning in your house? So do termites. Air goes in and out through tiny holes in the walls of termite mounds. We learn about building by watching insects build. (See biomimicry in the Design issue of Spigot.) Honeybees teach us about building skyscrapers. NASA scientists are studying ants to build swarms of robots that will work together.
Bugs: Poems about Creeping Things by David L. Harrison, 2007, Boyds Mills Press.
Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman, 1988, Harper & Row.
Do you have a friend who is interested in insects, too? Then, this is the perfect book for you. You and a friend can read aloud and even perform these insect poems for two voices. Your voices will sound like insects. You might want to find photographs of the insects to make a power point presentation to accompany your performance. See the review of e.guides: Insects for a site that will get you started.
Insectlopedia by Douglas Florian, 1998, Harcourt Brace.
Look for concrete shape poems about the inchworm, whirligig beetles and termites. How many ―tic‖ words can you find in The Tick? How would you illustrate the poems about walkingsticks or treehoppers? Try making watercolor paintings on brown paper bags with collage like the author did for his illustrations. Or, just read these somewhat silly poems for fun!
Items from your home can be used for these easy “insectigations.” As you learn, read about real entomologists, record your own journal notes and discover some internet connections. Make a bug–friendly trap and a temporary terrarium to observe your insects. Have fun making and playing the “Insectigations” game. These activities may keep you “as busy as a bee.” Try finding more bug sayings to illustrate and share with your friends.
e.guides:Insects by David Burnie, 2005, DK Publishing.
What do bugs look like on the inside? Cool or gross? Can some insects skate and others swim? Do the swimmers also dive? Go beyond these questions with this book and the connected Web sites. Each page has its own keyword (Book Reviews, continued)(Continued on next page)Library ConnectionSPIGOT – http://www.spigotsciencemag.com 27 Bugssearch connection. Read, research, download free images, watch videos and test your insect knowledge. There’s even an Internet safety section for parents too. Check out www.insect.dkeguides.com
The Voyage of the Beetle: A Journey around the World with Charles Darwin and the Search for the Solution to the Mystery of Mysteries, as Narrated by Rosie, an Articulate Beetle by Anne H. Weaver, 2007, University of New Mexico Press. 
What do the famous naturalist Charles Darwin and a beetle named Rosie have in common? They are both detectives. In this book, they spend five years on a round-theworld voyage to solve the ―mystery of mysteries.‖ Read Darwin’s journal notes and observations and see how Rosie’s clues guide the exploration. Use the timeline and world map to trace this fantastic journey. Figure out how many miles they traveled. Then go beyond this story by creating your own. You could pretend to be a lightning bug helping Ben Franklin discover electricity. Or perhaps pose as a firefly showing Thomas Edison how to make a light bulb. What mystery would you, as a bug, want to help solve?
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