Fascinating Creepy-Crawly Bug Book List for Children
Do you have any bug lovers in your family? Introduce your young children to a wonderful world of bugs by reading these insect books to them.
When we see the beauty, design, and variety in the world around us, the evidence for a Creator is overwhelming! God’s fingerprints are in every detail!
Job chapter 12 says, “But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you, and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.”
Teaching Kids About Insects
Instead of pulling out a textbook when I teach science to my young readers, I like to read great books with fascinating facts and vibrant illustrations.
After putting this list of books together for you, I’m excited to do an insect unit study, using these as our core science curriculum for the next few weeks. I don’t have any worksheets or planned experiments. Simply reading these books with colorful photographs and detailed illustrations will be enough to pique my children’s curiosity!
The fun facts in these books will answer all your kids’ questions!
- How do honey bees make delicious golden honey?
- Where does the praying mantis get its name?
- How does a caterpillar turn into a beautiful butterfly?
- Why do ladybugs have spots?
- How do lightning bugs light up?
- Do dragonflies breathe fire?
You may also enjoy reading this similar blog post!
How to Keep a Simple Nature Study Notebook
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Picture books
Perhaps my favorite books about bugs are Eric Carle’s books. His collection of stories with colorful illustrations is a treasury that should be in every home library.. Follow the very hungry caterpillar through its life cycle to watch it unfold into a beautiful butterfly.
- Now even younger children can follow the little green caterpillar as he eats his way to becoming a beautiful butterfly in this sturdy board book
- Great for early development
- Children will enjoy this delightful tale
- Ages 3 to 7
- Hardcover Book
The Bee Tree by Patricia Polacco
In this classic picture book, a little girl follows her Grandpa on an adventure to find a bee tree. Along the way, a crowd of people follow them and everyone gets to enjoy the sweet honey together. Her Grandpa admonishes her that just as they had to work hard to get the honey, books are full of sweetness, but you have to work hard to find it.
- Polacco, Patricia (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 05/04/1998 (Publication Date) – Puffin Books (Publisher)
Rhyming Bug Books Preschool Age
Books with repeated sounds and songs are wonderful for children who are learning to talk! When I read these books to my preschoolers, I can hear them repeating them throughout the day!
Some Bugs by Angela DiTerlizzi
This rhyming book is a great introduction to different kinds of bugs for a younger audience. After reading Some Bugs, kids will want to look in their backyard to find their favorite bug!
- DiTerlizzi, Angela (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 34 Pages – 06/14/2016 (Publication Date) – Little Simon (Publisher)
I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly
In this story, an old lady swallows a fly and then keeps swallowing bigger and bigger animals. It is a silly rhyme that originates from an old ballad. My kids like me to sing the song as I read it.
- English (Publication Language)
- 22 Pages – 03/03/2020 (Publication Date) – LB Kids (Publisher)
The repeated sounds in this book will keep your little kids waiting to hear the next expected rhyming word in the pattern. They will learn all about what beetles can do, how they sound, what how to recognize different types of beetles.
- Scholastic Inc.
- Fleming, Denise (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 02/21/9999 (Publication Date) – Publisher (Publisher)
Non-fiction Bug Books For Kids
While some might write off non-fiction books as twaddle, my kids love books with plenty of close-up pictures and detailed sketches with short snippets of facts.
A Beetle Is Shy by Diana Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long
The first thing I noticed about this book is that it is very pretty. Kids will learn about different kinds of beetles, tasty beetle food dishes from around the world, and why a beetle is shy.
- Aston, Dianna Hutts (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 40 Pages – 05/09/2023 (Publication Date) – Chronicle Books (Publisher)
The Big Book of Bugs by Yuval Zommer
Bugs will come to life in this simple book with lovely illustrations! The book is divided into sections by insect, for example…beetles, pond bugs, termites, stick insects, etc. so you can choose the bugs you want to do first. This is a perfect book to read to young elementary students because each bug page gives brief, yet interesting facts so it’s not an overwhelming amount of information to consume.
- Hardcover Book
- Zommer, Yuval (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 64 Pages – 04/18/2016 (Publication Date) – Thames & Hudson (Publisher)
National Geographic Kids: Little Kids First Big Book of Bugs by Catherine D. Hughes
This is the kind of book I would sneakily put on the table for my kids to “notice” as they eat their breakfast cereal. This book does a great job of explaining the difference between bugs and insects. Although the sneaky table placement would be my first choice, you could also use this book as a mini-textbook to read a few pages a day, focusing on specific bugs.
- Hardcover Book
- Hughes, Catherine D. (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 128 Pages – 10/14/2014 (Publication Date) – National Geographic Kids (Publisher)
Bugs: A Stunning Pop-Up Look at Insects, Spiders, and Other Creepy Crawlies by George McGavin
Look at the anatomy of insects in 3D with this sensational pop-up book. Each page is filled with pop-up pockets that have interesting facts under the flap. As you turn the page a large 3D cricket or honeybee hive pops out at you. This book will keep your kids searching for to find all the fascinating bug facts!
- Hardcover Book
- McGavin, George (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 12 Pages – 10/08/2013 (Publication Date) – Candlewick (Publisher)
Chapter Books
We have a few favorite chapter books for older kids whose main characters are insects that simply must be included in this list! Although a narrative-type story may not teach kids many facts about bugs, it will help build a connection and enrich their knowledge of each insect’s capabilities.
Whoever thought a pig could become best friends with a little spider? I love reading this classic book to my kids each fall around fair time. As Charlotte saves Wilbur’s life by writing special words about him in her spider web, kids learn the meaning of true friendship.
- These are the words in Charlotte’s web, high in the barn
- Her spiderweb tells of her feelings for a little pig named Wilbur, as well as the feelings of a little girl named Fern … who loves Wilbur, too
- Their love has been shared by millions of readers
- E. B. White (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
James Trotter, an orphan boy escapes the clutches of his cruel Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge by entering a magical peach. Inside he meets a spider, glowworm, centipede, grasshopper, ladybug, and others. In tradorable story with a funny ending.
- Come celebrate and join James Trotter and his friends – Grasshopper, Earthworm, Miss Spider – on an adventure inside a giant magical peach.
- A classic that has endured through the years
- Ages 8-12
- Dahl, Roald (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
The Cricket in Times Square by George Sheldon, illustrated by Garth Williams (This is the same person who illustrated the beloved Little House series.)
This endearing story takes place in New York City at a small family business, a newsstand. The family falls in love with a cricket, Chester, who learns to play the music he hears on the radio until an accident nearly ends their friendship. This story is a tear-jerker, so you may want to grab a box of tissues.
- Selden, George (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 160 Pages – 05/31/2022 (Publication Date) – Square Fish (Publisher)
Extended Ideas for Teaching Kids About Bugs
My primary purpose in creating this book list is to read these fantastic books to my kids. Reading for pleasure is enough. Nothing extra is needed, however, if you are looking for some activities to enhance your study, these ideas might be fun to try!
- Draw a comic strip style showing the life cycle of an insect.
- Start a bug collection using styrofoam and pins in a shadow box. Use field guides to label your finds.
- Find monarch caterpillars on milkweed (We find them in September in our area of Pennsylvania.) and raise them to butterfly. We keep ours in 2-quart mason jars with a breathable lid. When your caterpillar hangs upside down in a J shape, watch carefully to see it form its chrysalis. It happens quickly, in about 50 seconds. It is such an amazing sight to watch with your kids and the chrysalis with the golden beads is so beautiful. This activity requires very little preparation which is why it is one we do every year.
- In a nature notebook, make a calendar of first. When do you see the first ant? Beetle? Carpenter bee? It is fun to compare from year to year so kids see a pattern of when different bugs appear in the season.
This insect book list is an excellent resource for nature study lessons with your kids. After you read these great bug books to your kids, grab a magnifying glass, step outside, and see how many you can find in the natural world around you!
Happy bug hunting!
