Insect Investigation Book List
The benefits of reading to your child are enormous! There are countless studies on how reading impacts your child’s vocabulary, language development, cognitive skills, and understanding of the world around them. To enhance your child’s play and encourage literacy, here are some of our favorite books about bugs and insects to read along with our Insect Investigation sensory kit!
For Readers 0-3
The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle
Eric Carle has a plethora of bug books (three of which are on this list) that are all wonderful! This is the story of a spider that cannot be distracted by the other animals around the barnyard while she builds her web. The best part of this book is that the web illustrations are raised adding an extra sensory aspect of the book!
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
The classic tale of a caterpillar who eats lots of delicious food as he gets ready to turn into a butterfly. This book is a great way to incorporate counting and color recognition into your reading as read about all of the caterpillar’s meals.
The Very Quiet Cricket by Eric Carle
Follow a cricket through his day as he tried the greet the many bugs he meets. He finally finds his voice at nightfall when he meets another shy cricket. Enjoy a fun surprise on the last page of this book as the book chirps like a cricket!
Ten Little Caterpillars by Bill Martin Jr.
Count ten different species of caterpillars as they get ready to turn into butterflies. This is a wonderful counting book and a great way to expose little ones to various species of butterflies!
Some Bugs by Angela Diterlizzi
The world of bugs in vast and varied! Some Bugs gives a glimpse at how different bugs can be from one another. This is the perfect book to read to children that might have some fears about bugs.
In The Tall, Tall Grass by Denise Fleming
There is a whole world of crawling critters right by our feet! In the Tall, Tall Grass explores the places where bugs live that are just out of sight. With striking illustrations, this is sure to be a book you’ll come back to again and again.
Beetle Bop by Denise Fleming
I love a book that rhymes. Beetle Bop is a sweet book with beautiful pictures and rhyming words that is a delight to read as you explore different types of beetles!
For Readers 4-6
Monarch Butterfly by Gail Gibbons
Gail Gibbons does a beautiful job writing non-fiction books for young children. With thoughtful illustrations, this book breaks down the life cycle of a butterfly in an easy to understand way for every age.
The Bug Girl by Sophia Spencer
While lots of people may find bugs a little unsettling, this book tells the story of a girl who loves bugs more than anything! As we try our best to teach children to appreciate the natural world, this book is a great one to read.
Buzzy the Bumblebee by Denise Brennan Nelson
Bees do such important work, but that often gets overshadowed by their stingers. Buzzy the Bumblebee is the perfect book to read to learn about how important bees are to our ecosystem! As daughters of a beekeeper, we are big fans of this book!
The Big Book of Bugs by Yuval Zommer
This is an easy to read book with lots of fun facts about bugs that can be simplified for younger readers. You can also go more in depth with older children! This book has led to lots of interesting questions and exploration into the insect world with students.
