insectlopedia

by Douglas Florian, Douglas Florian (Illustrator)

Overview

The windows are open and bugs are everywhere! Children will delight in this collection of twenty-one buggy poems—just don't forget the calamine lotion. 10 X 10. Full-color illustrations

Author Biography: Douglas Florian has written and illustrated several books of poetry for children.

Mr. Florian's collection of animal poetry includes the books Lizard's, Frogs, and Polliwogs, Mammalabilia, On the Wing,

In the Swim, and this book, Insectlopedia.

He lives in New York City with his family.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780152013066
Publisher:	Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication date:	03/28/1998
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	56
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	6 - 10 Years

About the Author

DOUGLAS FLORIAN has written and illustrated numerous books of poetry for children. He lives in Jamaica, New York.

Editorial Reviews

"The silly, imaginative verses about whirligig beetles and waterbugs (almost) match the exquisite pictures in playfulness and wit. The result is downright stunning," said PW. Ages 5-8. (Apr.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Short, clever, witty poems catalogued alphabetically provide details about 21 different spiders and insects. Poems like "The Caterpillar" are just one example of how well-written the selections are: "She eats eight leaves at least. . ./Which leaves her like a Faterpillar/Then rents a room inside/a pupa,/And checks out: Madame Butterfly." Unique, thought-provoking illustrations accompany the text. There are some difficult words used, like "aggrieved" and "parasitic," but they are few and provide yet another opportunity to learn.

Children's Literature - Sheree Van Vreede

Gr 2-6As he did in Beast Feast (1994), On The Wing (1996), and In the Swim (1997, all Harcourt), Florian offers 21 short, inventive poems and paintings that create playful images of animals. Here, the subjects are arthropods such as the mayfly, praying mantis, hornet, black widow spider, and weevils. The verse form is as varied as the creatures presented. Shaped or pattern poems about the inchworm, whirligig beetles, and mound-building termites work particularly well. The words are arranged in pleasing patterns and the rhythms fit the characteristics of the subjects. The design adds to the overall appeal. Each selection is given its own page, allowing for the use of large type and plenty of glossy white space, and paired with a full-page watercolor with a neat border of white. These portraits build on the imaginatively integrated realistic and anthropomorphic images created in the text. There are other books of poetry about insects and lots of collections of humorous verses about animals but none match Insectlopedia.Carolyn Angus, The Claremont Graduate School, CA

School Library Journal

The creator of In the Swim (1997) joins Paul Fleischman (in Joyful Noise, 1987) in poetically praising insects. Read alone or read aloud, each of these ticklish tidbits features an individual member of the insect world, and focuses on attributes, foibles, and antics displayed in the eight-legged community. The daddy longlegs is accused of engaging in spiderobics, the walking stick performs a disappearing trick, and mosquitoes feast on the skin as "take-out." Some of the entries rely on clever wordplay, while others are examples of concrete poetry; the text takes on the hump of the inchworm or the spiral movements of the whirligig beetle. The watercolor illustrations, abstract and stylized, achieve a comic effect by incorporating collage elements reminiscent of an entomolgist's field notes. (Picture book. 5-10)

Kirkus Reviews

"Florian's elegant poems and watercolor collages are a treat."—Los Angeles Times
(star)"The clever artwork . . . and arachnid verse it illustrates will delight readers."—Booklist (starred review)
(star)"There are other books of poetry about insects . . . but none match Insectlopedia."—School Library Journal (starred review)

From the Publisher