Books about Bugs
Picture Books
| The Perfect Pet by Margie Palatini When her parents object to her choice of pets, Elizabeth finds the perfect solution. |
| Beetle McGrady Eats Bugs by Megan McDonald Beetle tries to get up courage to eat an ant during Fun with Food Week. |
| Pest Fest by Julia Durango While a common housefly cannot compete with more glamorous bugs, as a pest he is a winner. |
| Diary of a Spider by Doreen Cronin Young spider records all he learns about being a spider, day by day. |
| Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle Even though the other farm animals interrupt her, Spider persists in spinning her web. |
| The Bee Tree by Patricia Polacco A father leads a crowd of people in search of the tree where the bees keep their honey. |
| Velma Gratch and the Way Cool Butterfly by Alan Madison Velma’s new-found interest in butterflies makes her stand out in class. |
| Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert Using rhyme and collage, this traces the lifecycle of butterflies. |
| Dream Weaver by Jonathan London A young boy watches a yellow spider spin her web. |
| Sophie’s Masterpiece by Eileen Spinelli Sophie is a master spinning spider, but is not appreciated until, old and feeble, she spins her masterpiece. |
| Napping House by Audrey Wood A little flea causes havoc with just one little bite. |
| Flea’s Sneeze by Lynn Downey A flea with a cold startles a barn full of animals when it sneezes. |
| Beetle Bop by Denise Fleming A variety of beetles whirl, dance, crash and hum. |
| When the Woods Hum by Joanne Ryder Jenny remembers the hum of cicadas in the wood when she was a girl and shares that memory with her son. |
| Manuelo the Playing Mantis by Don Freeman A praying mantis learns to make music from a spider |
| Crickwing by Janell Connon A lonely cockroach rescues the leaf-cutter ants from attacking animals. |
| Cucumber Soup by Vickie Krudwig All the insects in the garden work together to move a cucumber. |
| Interview with Harry the Tarantula by Leigh Ann Tyson Katy Did interviews Harry about his latest adventure. |
| I Love Bugs by Philemon Sturges A boy extols all the bugs he loves! |
| The Lady and the Spider by Faith McNulty A spider is saved when the lady returns it to the garden. |
| A Mother’s Wish by Kathy-Jo Wargin A girl and her mother make wishes on butterflies – and they come true. |
| Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni An inchworm manages to save his life by measuring. |
| Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears by Verna Aardema Done as a play, this relates the West African legend. |
| Dot and Jabber and the Big Bug Mystery by Eileen Stoll The mouse detectives solve the mystery of the disappearing insects. |
| Two Bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg Two bad ants desert their colony with almost disastrous results. |
Easy Readers
| Breakout at the Bug Lab by Ruth Horowitz A giant cockroach escapes from a bug lab and must be captured! |
| Inspector Hopper by Doug Cushman Inspector Hopper and his assistant McBugg solve mysteries for insect friends. |
Shoo Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold |
| Bugs, Beetles and Butterflies by Harriet Ziefert
Introduces many different insects, including earwigs and the water strider. |
| Buggy Riddles by Katy Hall Can you answer, “Why the bees hum?” or “What is the best your for a grasshopper?” |
| Big Surprise in the Bug Tank by Ruth Horowitz When their pet giant hissing cockroaches begin to multiply, two brothers must stop them. |
| Wiggle and Waggle by Caroline Arnold Two worms enjoy their day doing wormy things. |
How Many Ants? by Larry Brimner |
| Ants in My Pants by Norma Vantrease A girl watches as ants invade her home and pants. |
Fiction and Paperbacks
| JF | The End of the Beginning: Being the Adventures of a Small Snail (and an Even Smaller Ant) by Avi Avon the snail and Edward the ant take off on a journey to seek adventure. |
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| JFC | Maybelle in the Soup by Katie Speck Maybelle the cockroach refuses to heed the warnings of Henry the flea and ends up in the soup. |
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| JF | Charlotte’s Web by E.B.White How can anyone forget how a heroic spider saves the life of a pig! |
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| JF | Like Jake and Me by Mavis Jukes Alex and his stepfather Jake are brought together by a fuzzy spider. |
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| JFC | Horrible Harry and the Dungeon by Suzy Kline A frightening new teacher interrupts the class butterfly project. |
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| JF | Project Mulberry by Linda Sue Park Julia, a Korean American girl, and her friend Patrick work together on a silkworm project. |
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| JF | Standing Up to Mr. O by Claudia Mi
Maggie dreads biology class because she has to dissect a worm. |
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| JFC | Ricky Ricotta’s Mighty Robot vs. the Mutant Mosquitoes from Mercury by Dan Pilkey Mr. Mosquito invades earth with an army of mosquitoes, but Ricky saves the day. |
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| JP | Mysteries of Spider Kane by Mary Pope Osborne Detective Spider Kane salves mysteries for his insect friends. |
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| JP | Prilla and the Butterfly Lie by Kitty Richards Prilla the fairy takes over as a butterfly herder, but strange things are happening. |
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Non-fiction and Folklore
| J595.4 | Scorpions: the Sneaky Stingers by Allison Lassieur Discusses the lives of 14 types of scorpions from around the world. |
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| J595.76 | Beetles by Elaine Pascoe Explains the characteristics of this most common of all insects. |
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| J595.7 | Fiddlehoppers: Crickets, Katydids and Locusts by Phyllis Jean Perry All creatures small and hopping and chirping. |
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| J595.7 | Insect Facts and Folklore by Patricia Kite What’s true and what isn’t about various insects. |
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| J743 | Ralph Masiello’s Bug Drawing Book by Ralph Masiello How to draw a variety of insects from bees to a praying mantis. |
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| J595.713 | Maggots, Grubs and More: the Secret Lives of Young Insects by Melissa Stewart The life cycles of a wide variety of insects. |
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| J811 | Oddhopper Opera; a Bug’s Garden of Verses by Kurt Cyrus
A collection of poems about insects that flourish in the garden through the seasons. |
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| J348.2 | LaCucharacha Martina: a Caribbean Folktale by Daniel Moreton The ravishing cockroach is wooed by a variety of animals |
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| J638.2 | Silkworm Moths by Dina Drits The life cycle of a silkworm and the process of using the cocoon to make silk. |
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| J348.2 | The Little Red Ant and the Great Big Crumb, a Mexican Fable by Shirley Cimo A small ant tries to move a crumb but must seek help |
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