How to Build an Insect

by Roberta Gibson, Anne Lambelet (Illustrator)

Overview

See what the buzz is about in this fresh, fun look at insect anatomy.

Let's build an insect! In the pages of this book, you’ll find a workshop filled with everything you need, including a head, a thorax, an abdomen, and much more. Written by entomologist Roberta Gibson and accompanied by delightfully detailed illustrations by Anne Lambelet, this wonderfully original take on insect anatomy will spark curiosity and engage even those who didn't think they liked creepy, crawly things!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781728411255
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	04/06/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	17 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	7 - 8 Years

About the Author

Roberta Gibson is an entomologist with a master's degree from Cornell University. She worked for a number of years as a research specialist before she caught the writing bug. When she's not writing, she reads, takes photographs, and studies martial arts. She lives in Phoenix, Arizona, with her husband and son.
Anne Lambelet earned a bachelor's degree in illustration from the University of the Arts in 2014 where she was awarded the Roger T. Hane award for the top illustration portfolio by a senior. She currently lives in Philadelphia with her husband Brice, her adorable dog, Eevee and her morbidly obese (but also adorable) cat, Fitzgerald.

Editorial Reviews

"Gibson and Lambelet provide a fun, instructional easy reader text and a science project for children. . . . A must-buy for elementary school and public libraries."—starred, School Library Journal

From the Publisher

★ 03/01/2021

K-Gr 4—Insect anatomy, basic body parts, and their purpose are detailed in this picture book. Insect body parts are introduced, and then compared and contrasted to human bodies. Gibson, who is an entomologist, explains new vocabulary and the science involved in how the insects' bodies work. The attractive illustrations complement the text very well and add humor; each concept is easy to understand and is smoothly applied to the next concept. On one page, the titles on a child's bookshelf include A Bug's Life Cycle and How To Bug Your Family. Gibson and Lambelet provide a fun, instructional easy reader text and a science project for children. The back matter, which consists of a glossary and a large diagram of an insect's body parts, also contains a more in-depth section on insect body parts that is accessible to fourth-grade readers. VERDICT A must-buy for elementary school and public libraries.—Nancy Call, formerly at Santa Cruz P.L., Aptos, CA

School Library Journal

2021-02-09
While ostensibly giving instructions on creating a 3-D insect replica, art and text teach the rudiments of entomology.

The initial double-page spread shows a dark room cluttered with cleaning supplies, a small drafting table, and scientific paraphernalia including a full-length human skeleton. An opening door at the left sheds light on the room’s contents while also revealing the brown-skinned arm and leg of someone entering, carrying a large jar whose contents will be revealed at the next page turn. The first words, in bold, white, playful type: “Let’s build an insect. Where should we start?” The next double-page spread answers the question by mentioning that humans have heads, so “Let’s give our insect a head.” Spread by spread, questions are asked and then answered by the invisible narrator, as the pair of hands that carried the jar into the room follows directions and uses art supplies to create a colorful, attractive creature. Attention-grabbing, clever art accompanies the whimsical text as it lightly compares insect anatomy with that of humans and other animals, notes basic body parts and some differences among insects, and explains vocabulary such as ocelli and mandibles. Especially droll: music entering a cricket’s “knee ears” and an insect gasping because it needs holes in its exoskeleton rather than lungs. The conversational narration ends with a bit of a thud, though, given its lively tone throughout. Older readers will appreciate a final spread that gives further information in a straightforward manner.

Distinctive and fun. (glossary, activity) (Informational picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews