Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom

Ag-Related Books for Children and Young Adults

Insects

Bial, Raymond, A Handful of Dirt, Walker and Co., 2000. Grades 3-6

Introduces dirt dwellers, from the tiniest protozoans through myriad invertebrates, to the mammals and reptiles whose burrows aerate the earth, all depicted in large, sharp, full-color photos. The author includes basic instructions for setting up a home compost heap.

Cole, Joanna, and Bruce Degen, The Magic School Bus: Inside a Beehive, Scholastic, 1998. (Grades K-3)

Ms. Frizzle introduces her class to the insect kingdom via an excursion through a honeybee hive. Garbed in bee costumes complete with antennae, and sprayed with the proper pheromones, the students are accepted by the workers and allowed to perform such chores as foraging for nectar and pollen, building honeycombs, making honey, and feeding larvae. They also have the opportunity to observe typical honeybee behavior.

 

Ehlert, Lois, Waiting for Wings, Harcourt, 2001. (Grades preK-2)

"Out in the fields, eggs are hidden from view, / clinging to leaves with butterfly glue. / Soon caterpillars hatch. They creep and chew. / Each one knows what it must do." As the gentle rhyme unfolds, we turn the small, partial pages that form the larger spread of fabulous foliage in this lush, oversized book. Before our eyes, the eggs turn to caterpillars, the caterpillars to cases, the cases to lovely butterflies. "They pump their wings, get ready to fly, then hungry butterflies head for the sky." The colors become increasingly dazzling, each butterfly springing to life with Ehlert's color-soaked cut-paper magic. Several pages of background material conclude the book, labeling different kinds of butterflies at different stages of development, from the buckeye butterfly to the painted lady to the monarch. A "Butterfly Information" page clearly labels butterfly anatomy and answers basic question about these fascinating fluttery insects, a "Flower Identification" page showcases butterfly-attracting flowers such as the purple coneflower (echinacea), phlox, and lantana, and the last page offers a few pointers on growing a butterfly garden.

Facklam, Margery, The Big Bug Book, Little, Brown, 1993. (Grades K-3)

Illustrated life-size, the bugs are transposed from their natural habitats to a human home. On vivid, double-page spreads, each species is contrasted with common household objects to give readers a frame of reference as to scale. For instance, giant wetapungas (grasshopper relatives from New Zealand) rest on a baseball and bat, birdwing butterflies hover over an opened box of crayons, and a tarantula hawk wasp and its prey (a tarantula) engage in a battle to the death amidst spools of red, blue, and orange thread. A two-page introduction discusses basic insect anatomy and characteristics; thereafter, the text appears on every other page, set in a large, square box with a double border of white and a bold color that complements the paintings.

George, Jean Craighead, The Moon of the Monarch Butterflies, Harper Collins, 1993. (Grades 4-6)

Describes a female Monarch butterfly's solitary flight from Arkansas to Michigan as she lays the eggs that will hatch and repeat her life cycle.

Greenaway, Theresa, The Big Book of Bugs, DK Publishing, 2000. (Grades 4-6)

An up-close and personal book for young entomologists and all curious kids who are fascinated with bugs. Look right into a spider's eye and get tangled in its web! Marvel at the stunning pictures of teeny tiny creepy crawlies blown up to extraordinary sizes. Engaging annotations provide buggy facts and figures. Larger than life photographs of creepy crawlies include locusts, caterpillars, beetles, flies, grasshoppers, ants, praying mantis, and more!

Johnson, Jinny, Simon and Schuster Children's Guide to Insects and Spiders, Simon and Schuster, 1998. (Grades 4-7)

Illustrated introduction surveys over 100 assorted insects and arachnids. A preface describes the animals' general characteristics, some special anatomical features, and the major differences between the two classes. The bulk of the material is organized into eight chapters, each of which concentrates on a group of creatures that share certain characteristics. For instance, one chapter examines insect predators such as mantids and dragonflies, while another looks at members of the order Lepidoptera. Each chapter begins with a general discussion of the subject and a greatly enlarged, full-color photo of a representative species. An illustrated "catalog" of about a dozen different invertebrates follows. The text is concise and well organized.

Johnson, Sylvia, A Beekeeper's Year, Little, Brown, 1994. (Grades 4-6)

Following a hobbyist beekeeper through the four seasons, readers are introduced to the tools and methods used to handle and nurture the bees. The well-written text and superb full-color photographs describe the process for introducing a new queen in the spring, tending the hives during the summer months, extracting honey in the fall, and keeping the hives safe and warm in the winter. Illustrations are carefully placed to enhance children's understanding of the interesting facts presented. The final sections include a glossary of "Beekeeping Terms" and several interesting recipes using honey.

Lally, Soinbhe, and Patience Brewster, A Hive for the Honeybee, Scholastic, 1999. (Grades 4-6)

When we first meet Thora the worker bee, she's thinking only of her responsibilities to the hive and her Queen. She must fan the wax combs, clean brood cells, and tidy up after the filthy, lazy drones (who spend the bulk of their time drunk on honey). Soon Belle takes Thora under her wing, teaching her the ways of workers and revealing her furious dislike of drones. But when Thora meets her first male bee, a "nice idiot" named Alfred, she can't help thinking he's helpless and handsome. It is through the poetic Alfred that Thora meets Mo, an opinionated rabble-rouser and vocal supporter of free thought who causes Thora to think outside the hive--if only briefly. Irish author Soinbhe Lally melds fascinating information about the workings of a hive with an engaging story line that is satisfying on both a literal and metaphorical level.

Lavies, Bianca, Compost Critters, Dutton Children's, 1993. (Grades 4-7)

The author begins by constructing her own compost pile and then observes it through the year as bacteria, worms, insects, and even crustaceans transform kitchen and garden scraps into fertile soil. The magnified photographs are rich in detail and color; the accompanying essay clarifies the pictures as it informs with both factual information and broadening concepts. By planting tomato vines around her compost, Lavies is able to show the result of all the activity--her tomatoes are huge. Her respect for these tiniest of creatures and her joy in the cycles of nature are apparent in both her words and her pictures. The ability of creatures to survive unchanged for billions of years; the similarity between what bacteria does in the compost and "in your gut"; the life, courtship, birth, and death cycles that occur in this environment all add up to a positive, life-affirming story that will inspire young gardeners, ecologists, and scientists.

Polacco, Patricia, The Bee Tree, Philomel, 1993. (Grades K-3)

Mary Ellen would rather be "outdoors running and playing" than indoors with a book. Sympathetic to her feelings, her grandfather suggests that they find a bee tree. Mary Ellen and Grampa chase a pollen-laden bee to its far-off hive, picking up curious neighbors and passers-by along the way. Before long the original pair becomes a "thundering stampede of goats, buggies, people and bikes" in search of honey.

Pringle, Laurence, and Bob Marshall, An Extraordinary Life: The Story of a Monarch Butterfly, Orchard, 1997. (Grades 4-7)

Written as a story, following the life cycle of a female caterpillar from an egg laid in a Massachusetts hayfield to her death in an Arkansas pasture many months and a fantastic migration later. The narrative is scientifically sound and includes information from the most recent research. The oversized book includes realistic, full-color paintings of Monarchs in all stages of their development and their habitats. Colorful sidebars and a variety of maps are accompanied by informative captions. Following the body of the work are chapters on protecting the remaining winter refuges and on raising Monarchs at home or in the classroom.

Ray, Hannah, Bees (Down on the Farm), Crabtree, 2008. (Grades PreK-2)

Sandved, Kjell B., The Butterfly Alphabet, Scholastic, 1996. (Grades 4-6)

A world-renowned nature photographer presents photographs of butterflies from throughout the world, using close-up views of wing designs that look like letters of the alphabet.

Souza, DM, Freaky Flowers, Franklin Watts, 2002. (Grades 4-7)

The book begins with a short course in botany that stresses vocabulary and processes. Subsequent chapters discuss different ways plants attract pollinators through colors, odors, and habitats. The last chapter acts as a warning that many plants are endangered because their pollinators are threatened, emphasizing the balance of nature. Small sidebars offer interesting bits of trivia about similar plants.

Turner, Ann, Grasshopper Summer, Macmillan, 2000. (Grades 4-7)

After the Civil War, Sam's father decides that he's had enough of the overworked Kentucky bottomland that he has farmed for his in-laws. He takes his family by wagon to the Dakota Territory, where land is as cheap as the cost of settling it. Sam can't get accustomed to the big sky in Nebraska, but he and his brother Billy gradually learn to like their new surroundings. It is only when a swarm of grasshoppers drops out of the sky and devours their first crop that Sam realizes that although his own family is staying on, the price of settling a new land, for some folks, is just too high. Turner deftly balances tranquil scenes (the family's pitching in to build the sod house) with terrifying ones (the grasshoppers eat anything green, even the green stripes of a woman's dress--while she is still wearing it).