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Title: Butterfly, Flea, Beetle, and Bee

Subtitle: What Is an Insect?

Author: Brian P. Cleary

Narrator: Intuitive

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-12-17

Publisher: Lerner Publishing Group

Genres: Kids, Ages 5-7

Publisher's Summary:

What is an insect? Crickets, mosquitos, ladybugs, and many other creatures are all insects!

Members Reviews:

This is a marvelous and somewhat zany introduction to insects for young readers ...

When young students begin to read nonfiction for the first time, it's oftentimes more interesting to introduce the topic in a more exciting fashion. Brian P. Cleary has started to introduce, in his new series of CATegorical books, the topic of animals. Many of us are more familiar with his reading and math series, which also appeal to the same age group and are of high interest to the reluctant reader. The vibrant, exiting, and somewhat zany artwork brings Cleary's verse alive beckoning the young reader to come take an introductory look at insects and find out just what they are. Newly independent readers can tackle the text with assistance while confident readers should be able to work through the verse with little difficulty.

A CATegorical cat always introduces the topic at hand at his easel in the front of the book. The pink cat, all decked out in green (including a green bow in her hair), shows us that an insect is "An animal that has six legs and a body divided in three parts." After the title page things become more alluring as the CATegorical cats come alive in a classroom ready to introduce us to the unique qualities insects have. "An insect is an animal / that always has six legs. / Most have two antennas, / and they all are born from eggs." The book continues on in its wild and highly appealing manner giving out facts about mammals that are sure to catch the fancy and the eye of the youngest readers.

This is a marvelous and somewhat zany introduction to insects for young readers. Keep in mind that this is an introduction, via what some call the "new nonfiction," that is designed to get very young students excited and interested in a specific topic. This is not a text that goes into specifics, but does cover the basics. Names of specific insects are highlighted in bright colors in the main text. In the back of the book is a two-page spread which covers facts about insects in a more straightforward manner, one that can be used as a stepping stone for classroom or homeschool instruction. This is one of six in the series, Animal Groups Are CATegorical that you may wish to add to your collection, especially if you have reluctant readers.

Animal Groups Are CATegorical

Butterfly, Flea, Beetle, and Bee: What Is an Insect?

Catfish, Cod, Salmon, and Scrod: What Is a Fish?

Dolphin, Fox, Hippo, and Ox: What Is a Mammal?

Salamander, Frog, and Polliwog: What is an Amphibian?

Sparrow, Eagle, Penguin, and Seagull: What Is a Bird?

Fun but...

This might be a nice book to add to a school/classroom library, but only as a second thought. The artwork is bright and cheerful, but with drawings there are only so much information you can pass along if you choose a fun, goofy style, rather than a more detailed approach.

The text was fun, although the rhyme was a stretch at point. All in all, a good try. This is a book that I'd probably use with very young children to introduce the idea that insects have 6 legs and come from eggs. There are better choices out there though.

Pam T~

mom/blogger

Tackling a Tough New Area

The pair who taught us everything from adjectives to the metric system is teaching about animals in this series. Fun, rhythmic, bouncy rhymes deliver a solid introduction to a challenging topic.