DK Readers: Bugs! Bugs! Bugs! (Level 2: Beginning to Read Alone)

Gross? Yes.

Icky? Yes.

In fact, this is the most vivid collection of creepy crawlies I've seen since my natural science class in university. I wouldn't recommend reading this before or after dinner. That said, the book is riveting to my two young boys. They have a host of questions as to how one particular bug eats another or captures prey as a host for their eggs.

Yep, I told you it was gross.

If you have a young boy (or girl) who really like bugs, this is their book.

Otherwise, look for something else from the DK Readers collection.

They're simply written non-fiction books. Most non-fiction books are written for older kids, or for younger kids only as read-alouds. A series of *factual* books that early readers can read to themselves?

Brilliant.

Not every kid wants fairies and talking dinosaurs all the time. Sometimes, they really just want plain facts.

I really like these books.

I do have one minor problem with them, and that is that the text is really not laid out in the best way for this stage of reader. It can be a little distracting, jumping from section to section, and the text-boxes aren't any help - the information they contain should really be integrated into the main text instead.

This is just a great book! Moms and dads will be just as interested in learning about these bugs as the young ones are. Hearing the word, "cool" when learning about science, etc., is quite nice and this book does that job very well. It's pretty neat seeing the praying mantis eat a fly, the dragonfly that was rotted into a rock, and all about the thorn bugs. Great reading for young ones, not too difficult but the little captions everywhere might make it confusing for those readers not quite sure of themselves. For that reason, might suggest a little older age just for the understanding of it. Probably 7, more towards 8. At any rate, it's loved greatly in this house! Highly, highly recommend!

Predator insects star in the Eyewitness Reader Book, Bugs! Bugs! Bugs! by Jennifer Dussling. Following in the style of other Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness books, Bugs! Bugs! Bugs! overflows with clear, eye-catching, color photographs. The cover photograph may attract reluctant readers with its graphic photograph detailing a preying mantis chomping its teeth into a captured fly. Readers enter a world of extremely magnified, floating insect photographs on white backgrounds. The images depict insects attacking each other or standing alone.
Accompanying text discusses the insect pictured in the stilted, easy language of a level two reader. Plainly labeled as a level two book, Bugs! Bugs! Bugs! fits into the popular genre of Reading Level Books. Although the author has extensive writing experience with leveled readers, the subject of the text jumps from page to page without good transitions and creates a hard-to-follow jumble of words-which potentially creates a difficult reading environment for the intended reading audience of children just beginning to read alone. Informational boxes scattered throughout the pages add additional tidbits on insect behavior-also adding additional confusion. Due to the discordant text, the book would be better used as a picture book where children read a caption here and there.
As a leveled reader, the book includes a note for parents which explains the leveled reader system and recommends the book for children just beginning to read (between ages 3-8). As an eyewitness reader, Bugs! Bugs! Bugs! follows the leveled reader guidelines for level two: approximately 700 words; 70% pictures and 30% text. Sure to be popular due to the graphic cover and leveled reader status, the book would be a satisfactory addition to larger collections but should be skipped for smaller collections since better leveled readers already exist.

My sons enjoyed this book tremendously. I heard the word "cool" come out of thier mouths more than once. The pictures were very detailed. It was easy for my first grader to read.