Spider Books

This beautifully illustrated book introduces young children to the wonderful world of insects. I read it to my girls from a very young age and at age two they could identify pretty much every insect in there. They enjoy looking for bugs in their garden too. Children will enjoy the short descriptive text. The illustrations really make this book a delight.

My son loves this book. We talk about the different bugs on each page - he thinks they're so cool. The letters are a bit of an afterthought for him at this point. But it provides him some exposure, in a fun way, without sticking flashcards in his face.

We got this book for our four year old, bug obsessed son. He is thrilled with it, and we are so happy to have an ABC book that he'll actually pay attention to. The illustrations and bug facts are great, and I don't think our son realizes he's learning his letters. We also ordered the Butterfly ABC book (just for good measure), which is also wonderful.

This book was fantastic. It had a great deal of interesting information about 26 different bugs. The text was still simple enough for children of all ages to enjoy. My preschoolers loved it!

I bought this book for my son for his 4th birthday (he helped pick it out) and it is one of his favorite books. He has had it less than 6 months and can tell you what every bug is and something about it. If you have a bug lover its a great book.

My daughter brought this home from school.

It's a cute little story about an inch worm who gets out of being eaten by offering to measure stuff for the birds. He measures tails, a bill, a neck, legs, and even a hummingbird.

It works until a nightingale asks to have his song measured. What to do?

The art work is good and my daughter did look it over.

At first she was so-so to the story as she didn't understand how the inchworm measured. I showed her with my finger and she laughed.

Others have suggested this might be a tool to introduce the concept of measurement. I can see that but my daughter already had an idea from the age old method of marking her growth height on the wall.

One of my favorite 5 bookes was Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni. The reason is, is that the worm in the story is very clever and thinks his way out of a sticky situation. That is what I like about authors like Leo Lionni. They can always come up with a great little story that influences so many children in such a positive way.

A children's book about an inch worm who loves to measure things and then saves himself by measuring. The book was the 1961 Caldecott Honor book (i.e., the runner-up to the Medal winner) for best illustration in a book for children.

Once upon a time there was a cute, little, green inch worm hanging out on a piece of grass. One day, a robin came up to eat him, but the inch worm talked the robin into letting him measure the robin's tail. Being such a useful worm, the robin did not eat him, but took him to other birds so that they could have something measured by the smart inch worm. Finally, a nightingale told the worm to measure his song or he would eat the little inch worm. Using his little worm brain, the inch worm began measuring the song until he had inched away to safety.
This wonderful book, written and illustrated by Leo Lionni, won the Caldecott Honor in 1961. He has taken a little worm and made the reader fall in love with it through the worm's usefulness in measuring and his cunning ability to escape the hungry nightingale. Even though there are many different scenes, with many various shades of green on them, Lionni has illustrated the little worm in such a way that the reader can always point him out. Children would enjoy finding the worm on each page, especially at the end of the book when he is hiding from the nightingale. Also, we always see the story from an outside perspective; eye level with the grass. It is as if we are another small animal looking in on the story.
The background of each page is pretty much the same. All Lionni has illustrated on each page is the worm and the other details that are needed during that part of the story. For example, while the inch worm is measuring the legs of the heron, Lionni has only portrayed the heron with the worm inching down its leg. I think this technique is good for younger audiences because it helps children focus on the story and keeps their attention for more specific details. This also makes sense because there is a small portion of text to read on each page which means the audience does not have much time to look at the illustrations while the reader is reading to them. As for colors, Lionni has kept them realistic. For example, the flamingo is a bright pink whereas the nightingale's colors are calmer. Overall, the colors in the book make the readers feel at ease and calm. The dull greens of the grass and the open, white background keeps the reader moving along at a steady pace. It's almost as if we know that the inch worm is going to outsmart the different birds and there is no need to get over-excited.
Lionni has intertwined the illustrations and the text in a way that they are dependent on each other. Although you could get the gist of the story by either reading the text or looking at the pictures, by having the illustrations support the text, the reader gets a more detailed, visual story. However, Lionni leaves room for the imagination to add on to the story at any time.
Overall, I loved this book. Lionni has creatively illustrated this cute story, making children and adults want to read it over and over again.
If you are looking for instructional ideas, I would read this story to students in primary grades before doing a lesson on measuring. Then I would have students measure different things around the classroom including themselves. I would also use this book when talking about different types of art. I would have children do a collage or make something with decoupage. They could even re-create a scene from the book!

This Caldecott Honor Book is easy listening for the early child and the young child as a new schoolyear begins. An industrious inch worm is the main character. He engages himself with measuring a variety of birds and lastly outwits the hungry nightingale using his measuring savvy.

Teacher Note: This book can be used to introduce the young child to using standard measurement tools. It can also be used for activities with creative non-traditional measurement activities. For example: Paper clips, hands, feet, craft sticks, shoes, beans, etc. This book can be a springboard to a thematic unit on measurement. It can be extended for study of birds, other nature studies, art experiences, and musical activities as well.

This superb little 159-page guide includes 47 pages describing a bit about naturalists, the history of bugs, their different types, how to identify and distinguish them--and even a few pages on endangered bug species.

What follows are 101 gorgeous, illustrated pages describing the appearance, habits and environments of everything from flies and grasshoppers to katydids and aphids. Kids also learn about boll weevels, moths and butterflies, and common pests and parasites like mosquitoes and ticks.

The book also includes a two-page glossary, two page list of additional resources, and a four-page alphebetized index.

A great starter book for insect lovers of all ages, but especially kids.

As a hmoe schooling mom this has been an excellent tool for the kids. They can look up all the bugs they find at anytime the decide to go bug hunting. It is simple and easy to use. a wonderful resource.

This book (actually the whole series) is wonderful! I have a 4 year old who just loves to page through it and examine all the different kinds of insects. We use this one to identify all the different kinds of bugs that we run into on our walks. The photos alone are worth the purchase price, but the descriptions are also wonderful. I think these are the best field guides out there.

This is THE best field guide for kids. It has excellent photographs and covers many different types of insects, including some regional ones. It is not only appropriate for young children who can only enjoy the pictures, it is also a great book for older children, up to about 12 or so. Any child who has an interest on learning about insects, spiders included, will enjoy this book and its wonderful pictures.

I love this book. Filled with VIVID photographs, this guidebook is compact and durable and begins with a short introduction (a few pages) devoted to teaching about anthropods in general. We use this book all of the time, from identifiying bugs on neighborhood walks, excursions to area parks, or just in the backyard (and sometimes in the house). I can also credit this book for curing my son's phobia of insects. When we saw a bug he was scared of, we'd grab this book and identify it. Looking at the bug and identifying its parts and then being able to call it by name did wonders in alleving his fears! I do wish that this book had more information associated with each insect...such as what it eats and what eats it. But, as a beginner guidebook, this one is exceptional!

"On the shores of Bitty Bayou, along a bitsy bog, a lonely little lizard lived in a lumpy log." Over 400 of my primary library students were already hooked into the book by these words and the pictures in Izzy the Lizzy. What a delightful story with a twist as mercy is satisfied instead of animal instincts. I loved the ryhme and rhythm of this book, the lesson it taught and the pictures that are so appealing to the senses. My students did also. Many of them bought the Book after hearing and seeing it! We think you will too! Wonderful job by Renee Riva and Steve Bjorkman!

I read this book to my Kindergarten class and they all agreed Izzy is a hit! The story kept them very interested throughout and they really enjoyed the ending.

A touch of rhyme, a helping of humor, and a wee dash of scary combine in this whimsical story about sharing with others the compassion you desire for yourself. It's a story children will want to read again and again, with a message that will serve them for a lifetime.

This was one of the most clever stories I have read in Children's books in a LONG time! And the illustrations are adorable! My grand-daughter and I could not put this book down and it's one of her favorites, along with Ms. Riva's other book, "Guido's Gondola"! The writing is totally delightful, and I also loved the moral of the story and the teachings. A "must buy" for anyone's library, adult or child! And perfect for gifting to famiy or friends.... HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!

A tale of terror (well, terror from a spider and a bee's perspective) in Izzy the Lizzy written by Renee Riva and illustrated by Steve Bjorkman will keep children turning page after exquisitely illustrated page to share in a desperate web of suspense. Will hunger and a captured dinner win out? or is there room for mercy and compassion from hungry stomachs? Anastasia the Spider and Jeb the Bee aren't so sure. With whimsical rhyme set to colorful pictures and captivating expressions, children will eagerly anticipate the answer each time the book is read.

This book was written for general audience appeal and is approachable by all backgrounds and ages. In the first 11 chapters, Evans introduces readers to detailed explanations of many insect species with wit, humor and anecdotal information. Detailed line drawings give one a good view of insects that would normally require magnification to be seen in detail. Evans points out that even those bugs that are microscopic in size have very sophisticated attributes and can manage their affairs with very efficient capabilities.

The sad confrontations of bugs and uninformed humans is well covered, but Evans, while demonstrating a profound knowledge and admiration for just about all bugs and life itself, takes, in my opinion, a rather unfair poke at Rachel Carson's famous book, "Silent Spring". He comes off sounding like those in the pesticide industry or those who relied on their funding of research grants who attempted to debunk Carson's important work as "alarmist" and over-done. As we now know, Carson's work was proven correct and alarming and set the stage for an invigorated environmental movement world-wide.

Evans points out that "They [insects] are not only marvelous creatures in their own right; they may also teach us something about population control and the proper use of the Earth's resources."-pg 47. And, "As the anthroposphere [human saturated world] continues to encroach upon the biosphere, the museums will more and more assume the role of guardians of the world's treasures."-pg 285.

So this seems somewhat contradictory to his comments on pesticide use, but in all fairness, he also sees the wanton and reckless misuse of pesticides as very harmful to life.

The last two chapters give a very studied view of the collision-course that humanity is on with Earth's life support systems and in the end, it might be proven that those "pesky" bugs are far superior to humans in managing survival on a fragile and "Little-Known Planet"- Evans' call to expedite our research of the many awesome, yet unstudied life-forms that inhabit this planet before we inadvertently eradicate them with our paved-over human world.

For understanding and empathy for the insect world and the vitally important services that insect's provide, this book and Joanne Elizabeth Lauck's book, "The Voice of the Infinite In The Small: Re-Visioning the Insect-Human Connection" is highly recommended.

I can find no other way to begin this review than to say that this book was amazing. A good read to be had by all. And when I say all I really mean it. Biology and non-biology alike will find something to gain from t his book. The author of this book, Howard Ensign Adams, has the ability to teach the non-biologist but the talent of enticing the biology undergraduate. His ability to merge these two extremes while keeping both groups content is amazing and in a lot of ways impossible yet he has managed to do it. Each chapter is another adventure in insect know-how with tidbits of information, interesting anecdotes, and, in many chapters, a general call for more research into the specific fields discussed.

This book is organized into thirteen amazingly interesting chapters. Each chapter touches on a particular subfield of the insect world with the exception of the first and last chapters. The first chapter discusses the author's reasons for writing the book as well as his personal sales pitch on the content of the book and its intentions. The reader must be aware that this book is not recently written but was published in 1966. This is made evident in the first chapter with his discussion of the space program and its future plans to put man on the moon. It's almost comical to read his discussion of this, a feat that seems like old news to anyone nowadays but to him is only a future possibility. It can be said, however, that the age of this book is not a handicap. Aside from the obvious limited technology present in his time, the science presented does not suffer. The observations and data that Evans presents and discusses are very sound in their scientific method and in their accuracy as far as I can tell from my limited exposure to the field.

The book is fairly easy to read and most biological terminology is explained. Pictures accompany most in-depth explanations and the captions are short and usually humorous in content. The book is both accessible to those of the non-science community in terms of its skill level and in terms of its lack of necessity for prior biology knowledge. The book is also effective in its intentions of making the reader aware of the world beneath our feet and within our homes. Interesting aspects of each topic are discussed in order to keep the attention of the reader and to provide enjoyment in what might be perceived by some to be a very boring topic.

There is an obvious bias present in the author's focus on insects and the beauty he finds within their appearances and habitats. However, he does make a point to provide a disclaimer in the introducing chapter in which he makes the reader aware of his past experiences and his current work in entomology, specifically wasps. Throughout the first chapter he emphasizes that although many might not find the field as interesting and as beautiful as he, it will benefit most to learn of the things he is about to put forth. He does ask for continued research in the field and attempts to downplay the importance of the space program by referring to society's need to explain the depths of the universe while forgetting what is not known about the world within our reach.

Each subject is explored to the furthest ability of the author. Where he is not knowledgeable he brings in outside data from other scientists in the field and uses anecdotal information to highlight the interesting aspects of entomological research. He also uses these instances to give evidence to his assertions by providing sound evidence of the research in the field of interest. For example, in his bedbug chapter, humorously titled "Bedbugs, Cone-nosed Bugs, and Other Cuddly Animals", Evans discusses the research of Sir Vincent Wigglesworth on the Rhodnius prolixus, Rhodnius bug for short. Evans also provides detailed drawings of Wigglesworth experiments and discusses their results in depth. This is the rule throughout his book when discussing anything scientific.

I would whole-heartedly recommend this book to anyone that can handle a bit of biological vocabulary and enjoys a good comedy. Howard Evans' style is witty yet informative. He puts forth the facts while adding incentive to read them. His prior work on wasps sneaks through every now and then and often he alludes to past selections or future topics that he has yet to delight you with. Overall his organization is clear and eloquent with each topic building on knowledge from the last. It is also noted on the cover that the author is also the writer of another entomological book called "Wasp Farm". I can say for myself that I have already made plans to stop by the library at some point this week to pick up this book to continue reading what I hope to be another great work by this amazing author. Even as I write this review I am making a mental list of friends and colleagues that I plan on recommending this book to, academic and non-academic alike.

Man will go to great lengths and spend great sums of money and time on the search for life in outer space, but will not look at the magnificent life forms under his feet, those largely unknown creatures that still hold many secrets worth studying. That is the recurring theme of this book, first published in 1968, when the race to the moon was in full swing. Here, Evans, who was considered a leading authority on wasps, ventures into the worlds of various insects with which he seems intimately familiar, demonstrating along the way the significance of these often overlooked animals and the virtues of studying them.
The book is divided into thirteen chapters, most focusing on a single group of insects-springtails, dragonflies, butterflies, fireflies, crickets, flies, cockroaches, bedbugs, locust and wasps-most of them familiar to any reader. But each chapter goes much deeper into the intricacies of every one of those familiar insects than most people ever think about. Every chapter makes you want to go outside and observe those fascinating creatures and the behaviors Evans so knowingly describes. While repeatedly pointing out that very little is known about the biology and behavior of most species of insects (in fact he speaks of our "depth of ignorance" of this group), he proceeds to go into great detail into the mating habits, courtship, feeding, and other behaviors of select species in every group discussed, giving various examples of typical and atypical behavior. In the course of his vivid descriptions, Evans touches on many important aspects of insect biology, and biological concepts in general, from anatomy and physiology to evolution, sexual selection, endocrinology and more.
In his 83 years (he died in 2002), Evans had published numerous papers and books of both technical and popular nature. Along with "Wasp Farm", this is one of the most familiar of his popular books. It can serve as a good introduction for those already fascinated with insects, or convert those who weren't. After reading this book, you won't look at your backyard or the local park the same way. You'll be able to look at dragonflies and recognize a mating flight, scream at a cloud of midges and see them respond to sound, and look carefully at piles of snow for swarms of tiny, fascinating springtails. This book is suitable for anyone who is willing to kneel down and look beneath their feet, or at a plant stem, and wants to know what they're looking at. As an introduction to insect diversity it is a highly enjoyable book, even when the amount of detail into the intimate lives of some insects gets a little tedious. Evans writes in simple and straightforward language, avoiding technical terms as much as possible, and the pages are interspersed with simple but informative black and white illustrations, including some insect structures and major experiments.
In addition to providing insight into the lives of the most common and familiar insects that share the world with us, Evans also introduces his readers to the more unusual species, known mostly to specialists. We learn of the microscopic parasitic wasp Trichogramma evanescens that lays her eggs inside other insects' eggs, sometimes many tiny adult wasps emerging from one moth egg. Or the peculiar habits of springtails, which do not have external genital organs and therefore do not mate at all, where the male leaves his drops of semen scattered around females on little stalks, and has to depend on chance that she will stumble on one.
Every detailed account of a particular species brings home the point that every species is unique, and has to be studied separately, because making generalizations from one species to another can be dangerous. Each insect is incredibly specialized to do only what is necessary for their immediate survival and reproduction, so that each species of insect has only a limited set of responses to a limited set of stimuli. As Evans puts it, every insect is adapted to doing "some things extremely well, and most things not at all". But he continues: "However, so many different kinds of insects have evolved that collectively they can do almost anything not requiring them to reason or to learn very much." Indeed, insects are so diverse that every species has the potential of teaching us something, if only we care to look.
The first chapter and the last two are more general, about people, insects, their relationships and their place in nature. In a chapter devoted to the human impact on nature-that of pesticides, introduced species, biological control, pollution, loss of habitats-Evans laments the loss of natural diversity in favor of human developments in an increasingly crowded planet and emphasizes the importance of preserving what is left, for its own sake as well as for the possibility of things we may still learn from the most obscure creatures. An intelligent application of biological control requires an in-depth knowledge of all the organisms involved and their web of interactions with the biological and physical aspects of their environment; the next medical breakthrough may lie in the hormonal regulation of a soil dwelling arthropod. But to reap these rewards requires an enormous amount of "basic research," curious inquiry into the basic biology of numerous organisms, not driven by immediately foreseeable benefits. It is precisely this type of research that Evans sees as being in danger in a world of "cost-benefit analysis" and "mission-oriented research".
Evans' writing is filled with humor, and he has a knack for summarizing many profound ideas into a witty one-liner. Unfortunately, in discussions of mating practices his brand of humor occasionally turns corny and cringe inducing, perhaps a telling sign of the fact this was written almost 40 years ago. On these occasions he tends to make analogies to human behavior, making statements and innuendo that to a modern reader accustomed to a politically correct world might seem insensitive if not downright sexist. But this in no way diminishes the quality of the content, as he describes the lives of insects with great knowledge and enthusiasm. His fascination with the living world, especially insects, is of the kind many people lose when they enter the adult world. The overarching theme, and his main argument throughout the book (if there is one), is that a lot of good can come from the study of insects and that people should devote more time to this greatly underestimated endeavor. There should be no urgency to look for life in outer space when the greatest mysteries of life on earth are still unsolved. By the end of the book we are left to share his hope that there will be enough curious minds, given enough funds, to pursue those mysteries.

I love this boook!!!!! Its easy to read, yet it goes into enough depth that you really learn about the insects. There's a whole chapter just on fireflies for example. Its the kind of book you can just pick up, read a chapter and say - wow, that's neat. (At least that's what i say) then I'll be outside and I'll be able to see whatever it is that I read about and understand so much more. So basically, the content is fantastic and the writing is so accessible that its not at all intimidating but also not patronizing. Its just very straightforward and so informative. I've learned so much. Its one of my favorite books and I wasn't even that into bugs before this. You won't go wrong with this one!

A co-worker showed me this book one day and after reading it I literally wanted to hug the book. It was so sweet. The illustrations are a perfect match to the loving story. The story is about a young boy and his grandfather and all the things they enjoy doing together. I'm neither a grandfather nor a grandson and I still loved this book dearly. I recommend it to anyone at all!

This gentle tale throws the reader a bit of a curve and leaves you with an "oh, yeah" affirmation. This story recounts the everyday adventures of a grandfather and his grandson, clearly two peas in a pod, who share a fondness for hot chocolate with tons of marshmallows, watching construction equipment, telling jokes, and just being in the "now."

Both the typography and illustrations evoke warmth and love, making this a great choice for reading to four- to seven-year-olds.

The whole book is heartwarming and lovely, but the end is the real clincher. I read it over and over again the first time I checked it out from the library, and decided it had to be part of my kid's permanent collection. The book starts off with "My favorite person is coming to visit me today..." and goes on to take you through a story of two people sharing time together and enjoying the simple things in life, like hot chocolate "with as many marshmallows as you want". It teaches that part of love is sharing small things in common together, and you're never too old to enjoy the company of a little person if you don't lose touch with the kid inside yourself.

I read this heartwarming book and instantly thought of my dad's relationship with his out-of-town grandchildren. Drinking cocoa, working on projects together, telling bad knock-knock jokes and reading stories are EXACTLY what my niece and nephew like to do with their grandpa when they visit. Now grandpa will have a new story to share!

What a wonderfully beautiful little book! Hiroe Nakata's brilliant watercolours are a perfect match for the elegant story. I recommend this treasure to anyone. ENJOY!

This review pertains to the "We Both Read" series not just this individual volume.
I discovered these books when my 5YO brought them home from the school library. They are unique stories full of sight words and repetition on the child's page - all reinforcing the reading skills that they are learning in school. I have had a hard time finding books for the beginner reader that are neither too simplistic to keep their interest nor too difficult for the true beginner. The adult's page is not so simplistic as to bore an adult to tears but still simple enough that an older child can read to the younger one.
The process of taking turns makes the reading easy so as not to frustrate beginners if they have to get through a whole book themselves and at the same time does not let them sit passive while you read a whole book to them. The books keep the child actively engaged as they have to notice when it is their turn to read. In addition to learning the words, they are learning verbal cues from your tone to determine when it is their turn (often with a rhyming word) and they can learn how to read with expression.
I have bought at least a dozen titles in this series for my own kindergartener and for several other children at this age level. Everyone (parents and kids) has been very happy with them and they have asked where I found them. My niece, a first grade teacher, has even recommended them to her school for their "Reading Buddy" program where kindergarteners are paired with 5th graders.

The Mom's Choice Awards® honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of the panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, Ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times Best-Selling Author; LeAnn Thieman, Motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books; Florrie Binford-Kichler, Founder of Patria Press, Inc.- an award-winning independent publisher and Member of The Children's Book Council; Tara Paterson, Certified Parent Coach, and founder of The Just For Mom Foundation(tm) and the Mom's Choice Awards®. Parents and educators look for the Mom's Choice Awards® seal in selecting quality materials and products for children and families. This book has been honored by this distinguished award.

What's a little ladybug to do when the school bus is coming and she can't find her shoes? With the help of her friends she searches everywhere for the lost shoes. With rich colors, the detailed illustrations keep a child's attention riveted to the book. This book is one of the We Both Read series where more detailed reading is on the left side of the page for the parent to read and the child's page on the right has only two or three words in larger type. "Lulu's Lost Shoes" is a recommended children's book for all ages.

This book keeps everyone happy when my 6 year old (or my 4 year old) want to help read, but the 3 year old doesn't have the patience to listen to stories at their pace.

We have about four of the "We read togher" books. Lu Lu's shoes is the hands down favorite. Cute story line, nice illistrations and just a few words on the child's side.

Some of the books in this series were about equal difficulty on the child and parent sides. When your child can read that well, there are millions of books (many with better illistrations/stories) they can help read. The joy of this series to to have books they can help read when they still need to sound out each letter.

To see how difficult the book is, check the exerpts part of the 'look inside' section to see a sample of the parent side,the child side, and the illistrations.

I recently purchased "Lulu's Lost Shoes" by Paula Blankenship to give to my grandson who just graduated from preschool. I had the joy to watch his mother read it with him for the first time. The book is so creatively written and illustrated that my grandson was able to read his pages with ease. The ease of his reading comprehension captivated the attention of everyone in the room which increased his desire to read it again and again and again... This is creditably one of the best investments I have ever made.

My daughter loves reading about her favorite Sunny Patch friends. And I love being able to turn off the TV. Images are beautiful. A pleasure to read.

My grandson is totally in love with Miss Spider Books. He carries them around with him all the time. When his dad tells him to get a book to read at bedtime (or anytime) he ALWAYS gets one of his Miss Spider Books.

I've been reading this book to my daughter since she was 6 months old. She loves all of the Miss Spider books. It could be the great colors or the wonderful rhymes. Maybe it's because I adore it too! The best thing about this particular book is the fact that Miss Spider adopts babies who are not spiders. I think teaching kids that loving families don't all look alike is a powerful message. It's never too early to start those good messages.

This is another worthy Miss Spider entry. It's fun to think of Miss Spider as a mother and a wife. She's definitely still in charge! The rhyme is still there and fun to read.

My 4 year old wants me to read this book EVERY night. She's memorized almost all the words and LOVES to finish the rhymes. Squirt learns he can pursue a noble goal - finding the mother of the egg - through lots of dangers. Parents are reassured that they ARE teaching their children to be "brave and good". One of my favorite books... I'll be setting it aside in my kids' "memory boxes" for them to read to their children, and I'm buying more copies for Christmas gifts this year.

No Longer a Dilly Dally was about two families who moved away from their friends to start a new home in the country. I thought this was a very good book about the lesson of getting your work done first and playing later. It would be a good book about the lesson of hard work and working first before you play. My family is just like the Work Play Family, and even though we follow this good rule, I still have lots of time to play. Great color and illustration, I really like the pictures. My Mom and I read this book together and had a good laugh about how the Work Play Family was just like us.

Children will love the antics of the ant families and the valuable lesson they portray. They will certainly love the cute illustrations. Any child will easily grasp the message about proper balance between work and play. My grandson love bugs so I know he'll love this story.

What parent doesn't spend alot of time trying to convince their child that play time comes after work time. This book is a fun way to reinforce that lesson to kids. Great book!

No Longer A Dilly Dally is an adorable book about the hard working ants, however some ants don't understand that in order to eat they must work first. This story warms your heart as you see the Dilly Dally's learn a hard lesson about laziness. The picture illlustrations are superb and they put a smile on my face. As usual, they have lots of detail. I will share this book with my class and it will enable me to integrate teaching about ants and hard work.

No Longer a Dilly Dally is a fantastic book for teaching young children the very important life lessons of hard work. Sommer does an excellent job of portraying the difference between two ant families, one that plays first then works; the other that works first and then plays. Depending on their choice of whether to work or play first, Sommer takes the reader through a season in which young children can understand the importance of planning and preparing through hard work, perseverence and dedication to a task. An incredible way to introduce these concepts to young readers and even toddlers.

In a very easy to read and understandable format, Sommer drives home the point of teaching our young people the importance of hard work in the formation of their character. My three and half year old loved the book and grasped the concepts well. It provided a great basis for communication in our home on the importance of hard work before play. Our society has slipped away from the traditional roles of hard work before play, this book helps to bring this foundation back into alignment. It was an important lesson for both my child and myself. I look forward to reading additional materials by Carl Sommer and adding them to our home library.

"Wow! Mommy, it's a snake!" I heard those very words as a little one-year-old boy sat enthralled, flipping through pages of stunning pictures of lively bugs and of curving words crawling across the pages of Oddhopper Opera: A Bug's Garden of Verses.

Oddhopper Opera is a combination of rhyming verses and colorful drawings of bugs and animals. The child gets an insider's look into a bug's race in an unattended garden. Filled with bugs of all shapes and sizes, this garden provides the backdrop for the story line, that of a race among the bugs to get to the finish line. Its incorporation of poetry into an otherwise "science"- seeming children's book will broaden the imagination of any child.

Though there is a creative, wide range of vocabulary, it makes it a difficult independent read for a child (for example, "Once up on a garden rotten, Twice forlorn and half forgotten").

Oddhopper Opera doesn't shy away from the facts of life, apparent in some of these example lines "dung balls rolling - move `em out," "Feeling kind of bloated," "'Papa, O Papa Bug, what will we eat?' "`It's gummy, it's yummy, it's dung! What a treat!'"

Regarding format, some of the words follow the twists and curves of the pictures, making it a challenge for a child of ages 5 to 10 to read independently, but a fun journey to read with, or to, a child.

The intriguing mix of poetry, stunning pictures, bugs and action-filled pages will keep children's attention and increase curiosity about what's going on in their own backyards.

Armchair Interviews says: If bugs bug you, or you love bugs, this book will bring you down to their level of living.

Oddhoppers Opera is a wonderful book on so many levels.
Kurt Cyrus takes you into a garden on a cold, wet, winters day and you follow through the story as the plants, bugs, snails and snakes come alive with his discriptive poems.
The illustrations are deatailed and colorful(without seeming unatural), and the text on many of the pages become part of the garden itself as the words bend, twist and tunnel through the pages. Many of the pages seem like a search and find book because with each reading we find details we overlooked before.
I try to buy books that springboard my children into other areas of learning and this book is perfect for science and poetry (two subjects not ususally used together), but it is also just as enjoyable to use as a preschoolers "let's cuddle up a read a story" book.

P.S. We just recieved Hotel Deep: Light Verse From Dark Water and it is another 5 for Kurt Cyrus!

That is what the words remind me of when I read this to my son. Incredibly descriptive, I can smell the fall garden as the vegetables slowly rot away and the (unseen to the human eye) insect life carries out there fall toil. My 4 year old sons' favorite is (of course) the dung beetles while my wife and I admire Cyrus' artistic and lyrical style. We are anxiously awaiting his next book "Hotel Deep" and and admire his artwork on "Buddy Holly" as well as "The Bones of Fred McFee" a seasonal story that is appropriate for Halloween.

If you love children's poetry, or bugs, or snails, or frogs, or gardens, or humor, or fabulous art, you will enjoy this book. :-) Cyrus is not only a talented illustrator, but this book proves he is also a gifted writer. Here is part of the beginning:

Once upon a garden rotten, Twice forlorn and half forgotten...

Drip--drip--cold and wet. Winter isn't over yet.

Drip--drip--soaking, sopping, Always dripping, never stopping.

This is just beginning of the many rhythmic, funny, surprises crawling inside. A must see-- A must read-- A must own! Enjoy!

"Once upon a garden rotten,/Twice forlorn and half forgotten..." So begins Kurt Cyrus' marvelous collection of "a bug's garden of verses." As winter ends and spring blooms, all the creatures begin to wake up and come to the surface. Join aphids, bees, crickets, dung beetles, earwigs, and fleas, grubs, katydids, snakes, snails, frogs, stinkbugs, and many other creepy, crawly, slimy friends as they eat, work, and play. The seasons change and spring turns to summer, and then summer turns to autumn, when "Drip-drip-wet and muddy./Party's over, everybody." Mr Cyrus' exuberant and entertaining text is full of energy and motion, and wonderfully enhanced by his bold, vibrant and engaging artwork. These illustrations are a real feast for the eyes, and youngsters will enjoy poring over the pictures, and always finding something new and humorous each time they open the book. Perfect for little entomologists aged 6-10, Oddhopper Opera is a very creative and innovative look at the garden, and all who live there.