Bonkers About Beetles

Gr 2–5—Davey introduces readers to the vast variety of beetle species. Beetles inhabit all types of environments, including our own homes, and live on every continent except Antarctica. Davey describes the beetle's life cycle and identifies all their parts, their food sources, and their defense tactics including camouflage, and explains the importance of beetles for a healthy ecosystem. The text chronicles that beetles are found in several mythologies, as well Egyptian art. With more than 400,000 difference species of beetles, Davey points out that not all of them have been given common names, so the Latin names are often used with the illustrations. The author concludes the volume with an illustration of a bug hotel that readers can build to help creepy-crawlies flourish and survive the winter months. Davey's illustrations are dynamic; the beetles take center stage with the text appearing in a small font.