The Ladybug and Other Insects

This series is an imitation of the Eyewitness format for younger readers. I'd recommend it primarily to preschoolers. Most of these books range from mediocre to horrible, but this is a delightful exception! Small children learn about the anatomy, diet, and lifecycle of ladybugs in clear, concise text. There is a moment of oversimplicifaction--when the book implies that all ladybugs eat only aphids--but other than this quibble, it is excellent. There are no translation problems with this one, either.

We received this book as a hand-me-down with a bunch of other books and my three year old son has singled it out. Not only does he always want us to read this book to him, but its one of the books he reads to himself several times each day. As a result he knows more about beetles than most adults! We are planning to buy him more of these books. We believe that the pictures and overlays are what drew him in, and since the text is simple and straight forward he learns and retains the information. We highly recommend these books.

I have to admit, the four star rating reflects my daughter's love for this book, rather than mine. It's informative and colorful, but frankly, the subject matter is still a little dry. The text is pretty involved for a two year old, yet my two and half year old toddler's attention span for this book is incredible and it has been a favorite for some time now. I'd really like to know specifically what she finds so compelling, simply because I'd like to get more books that have the same appeal but are challenging as well. (I intend to order some of the other discovery books.) It's definitely one of her favorite books, and of course, she knows all about aphids and can tell the difference between a scarab beetle and a colorado potato beetle. And now, so can I!

We inherited this book from family, and our 2 year old loves it. She know all about ladybugs, pupa, larva, and aphids. She has spent lots of time looking at the pictures, and she "reads" it to herself some nights (she's memorized most of the words).

My 4-year-old daughter loves this book! The pictures and transparencies are very inviting, and the text is easy to follow and informative. Did you know that all insects have 6 legs?? Did you know that ladybugs are yellow at first and then turn red with black dots? My 4 year old can tell you these things as well as what ladybugs eat (answer: aphids).