Ladybugs (Creepy Critters) by Sian Smith is just the thing to ward off the winter blahs. This nonfiction picture book for the youngest reader features big bright photographs of insects that are highly popular with children: ladybugs! 
The lively rhyming text and large format makes this a perfect for reading aloud. The rhymes really help beginning readers sail through the text, as well.
What I really like about this book is that it tackles some common myths about ladybugs, like that you can tell a ladybug’s age by the number of spots. Different species of ladybugs have different numbers of spots, so the number of spots is more about what kind it is. Once a beetle is full grown, its number of spots does not change.
Smith packs in an amazing amount of information, including what the larvae look like, what ladybugs eat and where they spend the winter. She includes an activity in the end to reinforce learning, asking the reader to find two ladybugs hidden in an illustration. Will the reader remember the life stages of ladybugs?
Ladybugs is an up-close look at an interesting and appealing insect, one that you will likely revisit again and again.
For related information and suggestions for ladybug activities, visit Growing with Science.
Reading Level: PreK-K
Publisher: Heinemann-Raintree (August 1, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1410948226
ISBN-13: 978-1410948229
Book was provided for review purposes.
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