Big Bugs

Big Bugs

Author Seymour Simon

Illustrations Various Photographers

Chronicle Books, 2005

40 pages

Non Fiction Picture Book

           

If you are curious about big bugs than this is the perfect book for you. I chose this book because I thought that it would be interesting for the boys in the classroom. This is a book that has everything that you would want to know about the bugs that are considered to be “Big”. From the bird eating tarantula to the Atlas moth, it has them all. This book is perfect for your students who are interested in learning about creepy crawly bugs. This book is also perfect for describing and labeling insects. This is an informational book with details about insects and even shows their actual size on the page. I think that is neat because it will allow students to really see how big the insects are.

The illustrations in this book were pictures. The pictures taken of the insects were very vivid and close up. I think that this is crucial in order to really portray the parts and details of the insects. The text on the pages is normal on the side and the top. The text font is easy to read and is not a special font. The pictures on the page go across the page and take up the whole page. I think that the big pictures on the page are fun for younger students. The big pictures also give crucial details of the bugs.

                The classroom connections for this book are endless. You can have a science, writing, and art. For science you can pick a bug out of the book and focus on it for the week.  The students can break up into groups and do research on the bug. The students can find more information on the bug and then bring it back to the group. One group can do where the bug lives, what they eat, their survival skills, etc. This will allow the students to collaborate with each other and also critical think. The students also can do writing on the different parts of the bug, and their characteristics. They then can share them with the class. Lastly the students can create their own bug. The students can be given various objects and have to use what they have to make their own bugs. It will be fun to let the students use their creativity to make their own twist or spin on a certain bug. You can then display them around the classroom.