{"id":1316771201103,"title":"Bugs Don't Hug","handle":"bugs-dont-hug","description":"\u003ch1\u003eBugs Don't Hug\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eSix-Legged Parents and Their Kids\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER AUTHOR\/ILLUSTRATOR INFO BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy: \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.charlesbridge.com\/pages\/heather-l-montgomery\"\u003eHeather L Montgomery\u003c\/a\u003e \/ Illustrated by: \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.charlesbridge.com\/pages\/stephen-stone\"\u003eStephen Stone\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER HEADING BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eMeet the mamas and papas of the insect world in this fresh and funny nonfiction look at how bugs are like us from popular science author and teacher Heather Montgomery.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER DESCRIPTION BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMost insects don't take care of their young, but some do--in surprising ways. Some bugs clean up after their messy little ones, cater to their picky eaters, and yes--hug their baby bugs. A fun and clever look at parenting in the insect world, perfect for backyard scientists and their own moms and dads.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER RECOMMENDATIONS BELOW - - - - - - - -- - - --\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"recommended-books\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you like this book, you’ll enjoy these:\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.charlesbridge.com\/products\/hey-there-stink-bug\"\u003eHey There, Stink Bug!\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.charlesbridge.com\/products\/insects\"\u003eInsects: The Most Fun Bug Book Ever\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.charlesbridge.com\/products\/karl-get-out-of-the-garden\"\u003eKarl, Get Out of the Garden!\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - START OF TABS - - - - - - - -- - - --\u003e [TABS]\n\u003ch5\u003eLook Inside\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg class=\"cvr-border-gray\" style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/bugs-dont-hug-spread.jpg?13334096580433842519\"\u003e\u003c!-- Please call pinit.js only once per page --\u003e \u003cscript src=\"\/\/assets.pinterest.com\/js\/pinit.js\" data-pin-hover=\"true\" data-pin-height=\"32\" data-pin-shape=\"round\" defer async=\"\" type=\"text\/javascript\"\u003e\u003c\/script\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER AUTHOR BIO BELOW - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor \u0026amp; Illustrator\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHeather L Montgomery, author\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHeather L. Montgomery is passionate about bugs, discovery, and the scientific process. An author and master teacher, she uses curiosity and yuck-appeal to engage young minds. Her most recent books are \u003ci\u003eUnsolved Mysteries of Nature\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eHow Rude! Real Bugs Who Won't Mind Their Manners\u003c\/i\u003e. Heather has a BS in biology and an MS in environmental education. When she's not writing, she can be found climbing a tree, knee-deep in a creek, or catching bugs with kids in beautiful Alabama.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - ENTER ILLUSTRATOR BIO BELOW - - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStephen Stone, illustrator\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStephen Stone has illustrated more than twenty-five children's books. As a kid, he was inspired by the illustrations in his brother's \u003ci\u003eAsterix\u003c\/i\u003e books. Now he draws inspiration from the charming UK landscape--and bugs!--where he lives. His dynamic mix of traditional and digital techniques celebrates personality, humor, and characterization.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - ENTER AWARDS \u0026 HONORS BELOW - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAwards \u0026amp; Honors\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eComing soon!\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - ENTER REVIEWS BELOW - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eEditorial Reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAre bugs good parents? Are they loving and affectionate? Do they feed their offspring? Playful contrasts between human and insect behavior will captivate young readers as they listen to the read-aloud-friendly text and view the alternating cartoonlike spoofs on human living and detailed bug environments. In one picture, a bug hides its eyes and exclaims, \"Where's Baby?\" to two excited baby bugs. The text reads: \"Bugs don't play peekaboo.\" After the page turn, the text reads: \"But tortoise beetle babies do get to hide.\" The illustration displays an un-anthropomorphized tortoise beetle mother realistically sheltering \"her young under her speckled shell.\" The book uses this format throughout to show true insect behavior in a way that young children can absorb easily. On another page, the text reads: \"For dinner bugs don't make soup.\" Some adults may not be charmed by the burying beetles that use their saliva to create a \"soupy meal\" in craters of mouse meat for their little ones, but kids will thoroughly enjoy these weird facts. The last spread shows an interracial family (white dad and black mom with a biracial child), lots of bug toys, and the message learned through this journey: \"Bugs ARE like us\" (\"aren't\" is crossed out). Further information about the insects is presented in the informative backmatter along with an exhortation to get outside and explore nature. A thoroughly amusing way to introduce kids to bug behavior.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBooklist\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThrough cartoonlike drawings, this book assures young audiences that bugs don't engage in everyday human activities, like making scrambled eggs for breakfast or getting tucked into bed at night—at least not until a page turn offers up comparatively realistic drawings of insects engaging in parallel behaviors. For example, mama bugs may not play peek-a-boo. But, on the next page, a tortoise beetle mother tucks her young under her shell to hide them from predators. Mama bugs don't bake birthday cakes, but dung beetle mamas do tuck their eggs inside pig poop cakes so that their babies can eat their way out. And so it goes, through spit soup and snuggly nests, sending the message that bugs do demonstrate some recognizable qualities, and so are worthy of curiosity and further exploration. Concluding activities include brief profiles of the featured bugs, additional reading selections, and a note to parents, promoting shared wonder and respect for all creatures.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - ENTER DOWNLOADABLES BELOW - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eDownloadables\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/bugs-dont-hug-cvr.jpg?9612008710691374076\" style=\"display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"btn-wrapper\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/bugs-dont-hug-hires.zip?9612008710691374076\" class=\"product-btn\"\u003eDownload the Cover\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"btn-wrapper\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/bugs-dont-hug-teacher-guide.pdf?6501018487609650813\" class=\"product-btn\"\u003eDownload the Teacher's Guide\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER DETAILS BELOW - - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eDetails\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHardcover\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eISBN: \u003cspan\u003e978-1-58089-816-4\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eE-book\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN: \u003cspan\u003e978-1-63289-669-8\u003c\/span\u003e EPUB\u003cbr\u003e ISBN: \u003cspan\u003e978-1-63289-670-4\u003c\/span\u003e PDF\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAges: 3-7\u003cbr\u003ePage count: 32\u003cbr\u003e 10 x 10\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCorrelated to Common Core State Standards:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEnglish Language Arts-Literacy. Reading Literature. Grade 2. Standards 1, 3-8, 10\u003cbr\u003eEnglish Language Arts-Literacy. Reading Literature. Grade 3. Standards 1-4, 6-8, 10\u003c\/p\u003e\n[\/TABS]","published_at":"2017-12-19T14:30:54-05:00","created_at":"2018-04-12T11:16:46-04:00","vendor":"Charlesbridge","type":"Children's Book","tags":["Browse by Age_Ages 3-6","Browse by Age_Ages 6-10","Browse by Fiction\/Nonfiction_Nonfiction","Browse by Format_Picture Book","Browse by Language_English","Browse by Subject_Animals \u0026 Dinosaurs","Browse by Subject_Science \u0026 Nature"],"price":1499,"price_min":1499,"price_max":1499,"available":true,"price_varies":false,"compare_at_price":null,"compare_at_price_min":0,"compare_at_price_max":0,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":12198225182799,"title":"Hardcover","option1":"Hardcover","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"98164","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"Bugs Don't Hug - Hardcover","public_title":"Hardcover","options":["Hardcover"],"price":1499,"weight":567,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_quantity":5,"inventory_management":"shopify","inventory_policy":"continue","barcode":"978-1-58089-816-4","requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_allocations":[]}],"images":["\/\/imaginebooks.net\/cdn\/shop\/products\/bugs-dont-hug-cover.jpg?v=1586787060"],"featured_image":"\/\/imaginebooks.net\/cdn\/shop\/products\/bugs-dont-hug-cover.jpg?v=1586787060","options":["Title"],"media":[{"alt":"Bugs Don't Hug: Six-Legged Parents and Their Kids book cover","id":2453758017615,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":1.0,"height":600,"width":600,"src":"\/\/imaginebooks.net\/cdn\/shop\/products\/bugs-dont-hug-cover.jpg?v=1586787060"},"aspect_ratio":1.0,"height":600,"media_type":"image","src":"\/\/imaginebooks.net\/cdn\/shop\/products\/bugs-dont-hug-cover.jpg?v=1586787060","width":600}],"requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_groups":[],"content":"\u003ch1\u003eBugs Don't Hug\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eSix-Legged Parents and Their Kids\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER AUTHOR\/ILLUSTRATOR INFO BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy: \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.charlesbridge.com\/pages\/heather-l-montgomery\"\u003eHeather L Montgomery\u003c\/a\u003e \/ Illustrated by: \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.charlesbridge.com\/pages\/stephen-stone\"\u003eStephen Stone\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER HEADING BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eMeet the mamas and papas of the insect world in this fresh and funny nonfiction look at how bugs are like us from popular science author and teacher Heather Montgomery.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER DESCRIPTION BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMost insects don't take care of their young, but some do--in surprising ways. Some bugs clean up after their messy little ones, cater to their picky eaters, and yes--hug their baby bugs. A fun and clever look at parenting in the insect world, perfect for backyard scientists and their own moms and dads.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER RECOMMENDATIONS BELOW - - - - - - - -- - - --\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"recommended-books\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you like this book, you’ll enjoy these:\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.charlesbridge.com\/products\/hey-there-stink-bug\"\u003eHey There, Stink Bug!\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.charlesbridge.com\/products\/insects\"\u003eInsects: The Most Fun Bug Book Ever\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.charlesbridge.com\/products\/karl-get-out-of-the-garden\"\u003eKarl, Get Out of the Garden!\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - START OF TABS - - - - - - - -- - - --\u003e [TABS]\n\u003ch5\u003eLook Inside\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg class=\"cvr-border-gray\" style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/bugs-dont-hug-spread.jpg?13334096580433842519\"\u003e\u003c!-- Please call pinit.js only once per page --\u003e \u003cscript src=\"\/\/assets.pinterest.com\/js\/pinit.js\" data-pin-hover=\"true\" data-pin-height=\"32\" data-pin-shape=\"round\" defer async=\"\" type=\"text\/javascript\"\u003e\u003c\/script\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER AUTHOR BIO BELOW - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor \u0026amp; Illustrator\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHeather L Montgomery, author\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHeather L. Montgomery is passionate about bugs, discovery, and the scientific process. An author and master teacher, she uses curiosity and yuck-appeal to engage young minds. Her most recent books are \u003ci\u003eUnsolved Mysteries of Nature\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eHow Rude! Real Bugs Who Won't Mind Their Manners\u003c\/i\u003e. Heather has a BS in biology and an MS in environmental education. When she's not writing, she can be found climbing a tree, knee-deep in a creek, or catching bugs with kids in beautiful Alabama.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - ENTER ILLUSTRATOR BIO BELOW - - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStephen Stone, illustrator\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStephen Stone has illustrated more than twenty-five children's books. As a kid, he was inspired by the illustrations in his brother's \u003ci\u003eAsterix\u003c\/i\u003e books. Now he draws inspiration from the charming UK landscape--and bugs!--where he lives. His dynamic mix of traditional and digital techniques celebrates personality, humor, and characterization.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - ENTER AWARDS \u0026 HONORS BELOW - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAwards \u0026amp; Honors\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eComing soon!\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - ENTER REVIEWS BELOW - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eEditorial Reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAre bugs good parents? Are they loving and affectionate? Do they feed their offspring? Playful contrasts between human and insect behavior will captivate young readers as they listen to the read-aloud-friendly text and view the alternating cartoonlike spoofs on human living and detailed bug environments. In one picture, a bug hides its eyes and exclaims, \"Where's Baby?\" to two excited baby bugs. The text reads: \"Bugs don't play peekaboo.\" After the page turn, the text reads: \"But tortoise beetle babies do get to hide.\" The illustration displays an un-anthropomorphized tortoise beetle mother realistically sheltering \"her young under her speckled shell.\" The book uses this format throughout to show true insect behavior in a way that young children can absorb easily. On another page, the text reads: \"For dinner bugs don't make soup.\" Some adults may not be charmed by the burying beetles that use their saliva to create a \"soupy meal\" in craters of mouse meat for their little ones, but kids will thoroughly enjoy these weird facts. The last spread shows an interracial family (white dad and black mom with a biracial child), lots of bug toys, and the message learned through this journey: \"Bugs ARE like us\" (\"aren't\" is crossed out). Further information about the insects is presented in the informative backmatter along with an exhortation to get outside and explore nature. A thoroughly amusing way to introduce kids to bug behavior.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBooklist\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThrough cartoonlike drawings, this book assures young audiences that bugs don't engage in everyday human activities, like making scrambled eggs for breakfast or getting tucked into bed at night—at least not until a page turn offers up comparatively realistic drawings of insects engaging in parallel behaviors. For example, mama bugs may not play peek-a-boo. But, on the next page, a tortoise beetle mother tucks her young under her shell to hide them from predators. Mama bugs don't bake birthday cakes, but dung beetle mamas do tuck their eggs inside pig poop cakes so that their babies can eat their way out. And so it goes, through spit soup and snuggly nests, sending the message that bugs do demonstrate some recognizable qualities, and so are worthy of curiosity and further exploration. Concluding activities include brief profiles of the featured bugs, additional reading selections, and a note to parents, promoting shared wonder and respect for all creatures.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - ENTER DOWNLOADABLES BELOW - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eDownloadables\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/bugs-dont-hug-cvr.jpg?9612008710691374076\" style=\"display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"btn-wrapper\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/bugs-dont-hug-hires.zip?9612008710691374076\" class=\"product-btn\"\u003eDownload the Cover\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"btn-wrapper\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/bugs-dont-hug-teacher-guide.pdf?6501018487609650813\" class=\"product-btn\"\u003eDownload the Teacher's Guide\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER DETAILS BELOW - - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eDetails\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHardcover\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eISBN: \u003cspan\u003e978-1-58089-816-4\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eE-book\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN: \u003cspan\u003e978-1-63289-669-8\u003c\/span\u003e EPUB\u003cbr\u003e ISBN: \u003cspan\u003e978-1-63289-670-4\u003c\/span\u003e PDF\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAges: 3-7\u003cbr\u003ePage count: 32\u003cbr\u003e 10 x 10\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCorrelated to Common Core State Standards:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEnglish Language Arts-Literacy. Reading Literature. Grade 2. Standards 1, 3-8, 10\u003cbr\u003eEnglish Language Arts-Literacy. Reading Literature. Grade 3. Standards 1-4, 6-8, 10\u003c\/p\u003e\n[\/TABS]"}

Bugs Don't Hug

Six-Legged Parents and Their Kids

By: Heather L Montgomery / Illustrated by: Stephen Stone

Meet the mamas and papas of the insect world in this fresh and funny nonfiction look at how bugs are like us from popular science author and teacher Heather Montgomery.

Most insects don't take care of their young, but some do--in surprising ways. Some bugs clean up after their messy little ones, cater to their picky eaters, and yes--hug their baby bugs. A fun and clever look at parenting in the insect world, perfect for backyard scientists and their own moms and dads.

Maximum quantity available reached.

Heather L Montgomery, author

Heather L. Montgomery is passionate about bugs, discovery, and the scientific process. An author and master teacher, she uses curiosity and yuck-appeal to engage young minds. Her most recent books are Unsolved Mysteries of Nature and How Rude! Real Bugs Who Won't Mind Their Manners. Heather has a BS in biology and an MS in environmental education. When she's not writing, she can be found climbing a tree, knee-deep in a creek, or catching bugs with kids in beautiful Alabama.


Stephen Stone, illustrator

Stephen Stone has illustrated more than twenty-five children's books. As a kid, he was inspired by the illustrations in his brother's Asterix books. Now he draws inspiration from the charming UK landscape--and bugs!--where he lives. His dynamic mix of traditional and digital techniques celebrates personality, humor, and characterization.

  • Coming soon!

Kirkus Reviews

Are bugs good parents? Are they loving and affectionate? Do they feed their offspring? Playful contrasts between human and insect behavior will captivate young readers as they listen to the read-aloud-friendly text and view the alternating cartoonlike spoofs on human living and detailed bug environments. In one picture, a bug hides its eyes and exclaims, "Where's Baby?" to two excited baby bugs. The text reads: "Bugs don't play peekaboo." After the page turn, the text reads: "But tortoise beetle babies do get to hide." The illustration displays an un-anthropomorphized tortoise beetle mother realistically sheltering "her young under her speckled shell." The book uses this format throughout to show true insect behavior in a way that young children can absorb easily. On another page, the text reads: "For dinner bugs don't make soup." Some adults may not be charmed by the burying beetles that use their saliva to create a "soupy meal" in craters of mouse meat for their little ones, but kids will thoroughly enjoy these weird facts. The last spread shows an interracial family (white dad and black mom with a biracial child), lots of bug toys, and the message learned through this journey: "Bugs ARE like us" ("aren't" is crossed out). Further information about the insects is presented in the informative backmatter along with an exhortation to get outside and explore nature. A thoroughly amusing way to introduce kids to bug behavior.

Booklist

Through cartoonlike drawings, this book assures young audiences that bugs don't engage in everyday human activities, like making scrambled eggs for breakfast or getting tucked into bed at night—at least not until a page turn offers up comparatively realistic drawings of insects engaging in parallel behaviors. For example, mama bugs may not play peek-a-boo. But, on the next page, a tortoise beetle mother tucks her young under her shell to hide them from predators. Mama bugs don't bake birthday cakes, but dung beetle mamas do tuck their eggs inside pig poop cakes so that their babies can eat their way out. And so it goes, through spit soup and snuggly nests, sending the message that bugs do demonstrate some recognizable qualities, and so are worthy of curiosity and further exploration. Concluding activities include brief profiles of the featured bugs, additional reading selections, and a note to parents, promoting shared wonder and respect for all creatures.

Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-58089-816-4

E-book
ISBN: 978-1-63289-669-8 EPUB
ISBN: 978-1-63289-670-4 PDF

Ages: 3-7
Page count: 32
10 x 10

Correlated to Common Core State Standards:
English Language Arts-Literacy. Reading Literature. Grade 2. Standards 1, 3-8, 10
English Language Arts-Literacy. Reading Literature. Grade 3. Standards 1-4, 6-8, 10