If you know me at all, you know that I’m just the teeniest bit obsessed with fun facts. This book is essentially Fun Facts: Bug Edition, so a must read for me.
All bugs are arthropods, meaning they all have a joint in the leg or foot, exoskeletons and are symmetrical. After explaining what they are and highlighting some of the ways they protect themselves, this book introduces you to twenty bugs.
You’ll learn where they live, what they eat and how big they are. At the end of the book there’s a glossary. I definitely learned some new words today.
Because I can’t help myself, I need to tell you my favourite fun fact for each bug.
When a Click Beetle is in danger it flips itself over and plays dead. Only it can’t flip back so it flings itself into the air over and over again until it lands the right way.
The body of a Spiny Flower Mantis mimics flower petals, which brings their food to them.
Daddy Longlegs aren’t spiders. Seriously??? They’re part of the arachnid family but are more closely related to scorpions.
The Hickory Horned Devil Caterpillar turns into a regal moth, which doesn’t have a working mouth.
Firefly adults are generally vegetarian but when they’re young many of them are carnivores.
The Jewel Wasp can turn cockroaches into zombies. The process is ingenious but kinda gross.
The female Spiny Orbweaver makes the web and is larger and more brightly coloured than the male.
The Longhorn Beetle eats trees.
Like the hickory horned devil caterpillar, Luna Moths don’t live long enough to eat. Luna Moths are nocturnal.
The nose of some species of Lanternfly is almost half the size of its body.
The Goliath Beetle weighs up to 100 grams (4 ounces).
The Giraffe Weevil was first discovered in 2008. It lives in Madagascar.
If a predator catches a Stick Insect, it may be able to get away by detaching its leg. They grow back!
Glowworms aren’t actually worms. They’re the larvae of the fungus gnat.
Because apparently we don’t call things what they are in the bug world, Railroad Worms are also not worms. They’re female beetles and they look amazing at night.
When they’re in danger, the Motyxia Millipede “will leak deadly cyanide and other yucky substances from the pores dotting their sides.”
What you know as a stink bug is actually called a Shield Bug.
Giant Devil’s Flower Mantis has a brilliant scientific name: Idolomantis diabolica.
In 1939, someone found a Glowing Cockroach. Just the one and it’s the only one that’s ever been spotted. It’s kind of adorable though; when it glows it reminds me of someone wearing a cape.
The Hercules Beetle lives up to its name. It’s the world’s strongest insect and “can lift more than 800 times its weight.”
I liked the layout of this book. There wasn’t so much text that young readers would find it overwhelming and there are at least two photos of each bug. I loved that the size of each bug was shown in relation to the size of a hand.
This was an entertaining way to get today’s fun fact fix. I may need to visit Ecuador to see if I can find the second ever glowing cockroach.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Chartwell Books, an imprint of Quarto Publishing Group, for the opportunity to read this book.
Once Upon a Blurb
Amazing World: Bugs transports kids around the world to discover the lives of 20 strange and magnificent insects. Adding to the fun, the book includes 13 reusable glow in the dark plastic stickers.
From shimmering glowworms and fireflies to the extremely odd giraffe bug, every insect profile includes up close and personal, full colour photos of each amazing creature and tonnes of fun facts and easily digestible graphics. Kids learn about where each bug lives, what they eat, how they evade predators much, MUCH larger than they are, and so much more!
Discover each bug’s unique skills for building and defence. Explore the fascinating characteristics of bugs like the lanternfly, which is named for its large snout, or the stick insect, which can blend in anywhere.
Just a few of the intriguing bugs you will meet:
- Click Beetle
- Spiny Flower Mantis
- Daddy Longlegs
- Hickory Horned Devil Caterpillar
- Jewel Wasp
- Luna Moth
- Glowing Cockroach
- And more!
Schizanthus Nerd 