Noisy Bug Sing-Along

by John Himmelman, John Himmelman (Illustrator)

Overview

Listen to the "buggy" concert happening in your yard, or in the fields and woods nearby. What insects are making those sounds? Learn who is making what sound, and why. Sing along with them! This book is a wonderful introduction to the noisy, busy world of insects.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781584694496
Publisher:	Dawn Publications
Publication date:	06/24/2013
Series:	Noisy Sing-Along Series , #1
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	19 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 9 Years

About the Author

When John Himmelman was eight years old, he started his first Bug Club in a friend’s garage, and he’s been playing with insects ever since. Even now, on summer nights John is often in his wooded yard in Killingworth, Connecticut, flashlight in hand, searching for little creatures. Some of his most exciting discoveries are found just a few feet from his house! John co-founded the Connecticut Butterfly Association, is past president of the New Haven Bird Club, and both gives nature programs and makes school visits. He is an author and illustrator of over 75 books for children. John’s enthusiasm extends to his family—his wife is an art teacher, his son is an artist, and his daughter is an actress.

Editorial Reviews

Nature enthusiast Himmelman's latest picture book issues to young readers the invitation to come sing along with the often-unnoticed musicians of the insect world. Field crickets singing, tree crickets ringing, mole crickets calling, click beetles clicking, tiger moths squeaking, dog-day cicadas and bumble bees buzzing, mosquitos humming, true katydids calling, and grasshoppers snapping their wings—all are part of the chorus of insect sound in the world around us. While the realistic style of the illustrations, resembling photographs, is academically accurate rather than aesthetically appealing, the text ably catalogs a careful inventory of insect sound effects, building to a glorious closing cacophony. Additional features include a visual rendering of the sound waves for each insect, further information about each "noisy bug" presented, and helpful instructions for how to train yourself to be a better listener to insect song (e.g., how to turn your human ears into "bat ears" by cupping your hands behind them to amplify the sounds of the singing insects all around us). Himmelman engagingly celebrates these insect song sounds here. Reviewer: Claudia Mills, Ph.D.

Children's Literature - Claudia Mills

PreS-Gr 1—A still summer evening isn't always quiet for those who listen carefully. They might hear and identify some noisy bugs using this simple primer. Himmelman devotes a spread to each insect and its distinctive sound. Though the text is simple, with just one line per page, the author packs in the information. He includes the complete name of the bug and an easy-to-replicate phonetic description of the sound. Readers will also learn about how the noisy creature adapts to its environment. For example, a Dog-Day Cicada buzzes high in a tree, not near the ground. The textual information is set off by larger-than-life illustrations. The colors are saturated but still realistic. There are enough details in the pictures to serve as a beginning identification guide. Additional details about all of the bugs is appended. Missing, though, is any notation about where in the United States the insects live, which might have made this book even more useful. Nature activities are included. This book will be well-used on trips to the woods and in backyards throughout the summer, wherever noisy bugs can be found.—Susan E. Murray, formerly at Glendale Public Library, AZ

School Library Journal

The illustrations are a feast for bug lovers' eyes, but the text could be so much more. The opening page tells readers that bugs sing day and night, loudly and softly, and that they should sing along. Turn the page, and the bugs get up-close and personal, the detail wowing readers, though they are a simplified version of lifelike. Each double-page spread is devoted to one insect and its sound, a sentence telling the name of the creature and what it does, followed by the sound the bug makes--in a huge display type that spreads across and fills the pages. "Field Crickets sing from beneath leaves. CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP." Mole crickets call "dirt-dirt-dirt," while a tiger moth emits a high-pitched "SQUEAKA." Not all the sounds are particularly identifiable, however: The bumblebee and cicada have the same sound--zzzzzz--and saying that tree crickets "ring like a telephone" is not helpful for modern children used to an infinite variety of ring tones. The most serious flaw of the text, however, is its failure to provide a why or how for the bugs' sounds. While this is provided in the backmatter, along with information about and visualizations of sound waves, many children may not sit through all this text presented in one chunk. Bug devotees may pick this up for a glance, but it is not likely to be a repeat favorite. (activities exploring sounds, link to audio file of bug sounds (not heard)) (Informational picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews