Insect Detective
By Steve Voake
Illustrated by Charlotte Voake
Candlewick Press, 2010 (US), 2009 (England)
ISBN #978-0-7636-4447-5
Nonfiction
Grades K-3
“Right now, all around you, thousands of insects are doing strange and wonderful things. But you can’t always see them right away. Sometimes you have to know where to look.”
This beautiful, sparely-worded book uses lyrical language to take the reader on an investigation of different insects in their natural habitats. The insects include common and less well-known groups as examples and an identifying characteristic or habit is described as the text tells the way to discover the insect.
During the overturned log investigation, the defining characteristics of an insect are included in a way that clearly illustrates that all crawling creatures are not insects. This is one of the best examples I’ve seen for young children that distinguishes the the difference between insects and animals like spiders and centipedes. Additional, short facts scattered on each spread give details about insects in general.
The watercolor art highlights the line drawings that show the young boy’s investigation and the lifelike, accurate depictions of the insects. The book concludes with activities of how the reader can also be an insect detective. A short index is included.
Activity 1
Follow one of the activities from the book’s back matter or collect an insect to observe. List qualitative observations (using the senses) and quantitative observations (using numbers), write an accurate scientific description of the insect.
Activity 2
Look up metamorphosis and learn the difference between complete and incomplete metamorphosis. List the insects from the book. Make a chart that identifies the insects listed that undergo complete and incomplete metamorphosis.
This is a good explanation of metamorphosis.
Here’s a more complex explanation.
Visit Candlewick Press
National Science Standard: life cycles; organisms in their environment
Book provided by publisher for Librarian’s Choices Committee
I’m so glad you shared this book with your readers. I work with young children on almost a daily basis. Kids are incredibly curious about “bugs”. This book will make a great addition to my growing library. I will place my order soon.
[...] I have Insect Detective at SimplyScience. Thank [...]
I know several other books by the Voakes partnership but this one is new to me – and now I’m excited – I know at least 2 children for whom this would be the perfect book!
This was fun book. I’m glad you saw it here.