Published by Millbrook Press

Summary:  Readers learn about insects’ body parts as a young artist works on creating one.  First comes the head, followed by the thorax and the abdomen.  Decisions are made about a skeleton, legs, and wings.  Then the senses are considered: eyes, ears, a mouth, and antennae.  Decorations like hair and horns are the final touch before the insect is given a place to live and a snack, at which point the artist declares the work done.  Includes a two-page labeled illustration of an insect, a glossary, and instructions for building an insect model.  32 pages; grades K-4.

Pros:  An engaging way to learn about insects, with large, colorful illustrations and text that reads like a conversation between the narrator and the artist.  A perfect example of blending art and science.

Cons:  Kind of an anti-climactic ending.

Published by Tundra Books

Summary:  A butterfly tells readers that “everyone knows that butterflies are pretty.”  If that’s as much as you want to know about butterflies, you’re warned not to read any further.  But, of course, who can resist?  Keep going, and you’ll learn that butterflies can be drab, noisy, and eat rotten food or poop.  Some are stinky, sneaky, and all are shape-shifters, turning from a caterpillar into a butterfly.  They taste with their feet and drink other animals’ tears.  Butterflies are gross, they are amazing, AND they are beautiful…just like humans!  Includes additional information about the butterfly species in the book.  36 pages; grades K-4.

Pros:  This is a fun approach that is a nice counterbalance to more traditional butterfly books.  I used to teach in a school where there was a second grade field trip to The Butterfly Place in Westford, MA, and there were always one or two kids who were completely freaked out by butterflies.  They might enjoy having their phobias validated by this book.

Cons:  Honestly, I was hoping for something a little bit grosser.

Published by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux

Summary:  The narrative begins long ago when nomads traveled through Europe and Asia, fighting wolves for their prey.  A girl meets a young wolf and they play together until the pup gets older.  This cycle is repeated throughout history, with the bond between child and pup growing, and the certainty that their friendship can’t last becoming less.  In the last iteration, the human group packs up and leaves the area, the boy calls to his wolf friend, “and Dog left the wolf pack to follow his boy away.”  The last spread shows a contemporary girl and puppy meeting for the first time.  Includes two pages of back matter giving additional information on how dogs became domesticated and a bibliography.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Dog lovers will be intrigued by the progression of domestication over thousands of years.  The illustrations seem simple with cartoon-inspired characters, but also include gorgeous backgrounds portraying the natural world.  The back matter adds to the research value and will make the book more interesting to older kids.

Cons:  The process of domestication is very simplified.

Published by Charlesbridge

Summary:  Zapped, wrapped, trapped, or poked: those are a few of the ways flies get eaten by other animals.  Each method is accompanied by a cartoon illustration along with a few sentences of text describing how the fly is trapped and consumed.  The last few pages give nutrition facts for flies, show their edible parts, and offer lists of books and websites, as well as a selected bibliography.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  The emphasis on the gross-out factor, reinforced in the illustrations, will undoubtedly have readers flocking to this book like the proverbial flies to honey.

Cons:  If flies are such easy prey, why are there still so many of them around?