Our highlighted book today is Creep and Flutter: The Secret World of Insects and Spiders by Jim Arnosky.
Upon opening the book, the reader can tell Jim Arnosky has taken time to really get to know and admire his subjects. His brilliant acrylic paintings and pencil drawings capture the rich details. He chronicles the minute as well as the big and bold, and adds actual size silhouettes to those he has enlarged for ease of viewing. The book includes several fold-out pages, which always intrigue children.
Jim Arnosky is a naturalist, a writer, and an artist. He has written many nonfiction children’s books about animals and the natural world. At one of his presentations at a local library a few years ago, he sang a song and then shared that the words to his books often came to him in the form of songs and/or rhymes. The first person narrative sections of this book definitely show his love of poetry and song. They are beautiful to read aloud.
The illustration of the golden-silk spider on the cover of Creep and Flutter will surely entice young readers interested in insects, spiders, and nature to give it a try. The bold illustrations and admiring text will keep them reading to the very end.
For another review, see The Nonfiction Detectives
Reading level: Ages 6 and up
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: Sterling Children’s Books (April 3, 2012)
ISBN-10: 1402777663
ISBN-13: 978-1402777660
Nonfiction Monday is a blogging celebration of nonfiction books for kids. We invite you to join us. For more information and a schedule, stop by Booktalking to see who is hosting each week.
This week’s round-up is at The Nonfiction Detectives.