Insectlopedia

by Douglas Florian

The windows are open and bugs are everywhere! Children will delight in this collection of twenty-one buggy poems - just don't forget the calamine lotion.

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books, Science, Childrens, Nonfiction, Animals, Nature

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sorry, but unfortunately I have not really found the twenty-one insect based poems of Douglas Florian’s 1998 picture book Insectlopedia all that textually interesting, I have not found his presented verses all that lyrically delightful and engaging (and well, Douglas Florian also makes insects appear not all that personally appealing to me in Insectlopdia, and this even though I am actually rather an insect fan, so yes, that is definitely a bit of let-down and not to mention that for me the level of scientific of zoological inaccuracy in Insectlopedia is truly annoying and ridiculous).

Now Florian’s printed words, his poems for Insectlopedia, they are ALL AND SUNDRY quite ingeniously constructed (with many featured puns and equally quite a few examples of concrete poetry) and he certainly manages to show off his writing, he definitely ends up showcasing his poetic skills with Insectlopedia (and that as a wordsmith, Douglas Florian truly always does seem to shine with regard to stylistics). But I for one also think that for a sizeable majority of those twenty-one insect poetry examples, Douglas Florian spends far too much of his lyrical time in Insectlopedia trying to make use of wordplay upon wordplay, trying to be and act all continuously humorous and punning, with the end result being that there is far too much of an artificial and unnatural feeling textual cleverness for me to be encountered in Insectlopedia and not nearly enough bona fide and factual details on insects as animals (in a general, in a non fiction, non silly type of manner).

However, I also do not of course inherently mind that Insectlopedia features puns etc., I personally just think that Douglas Florian has gone a bit poetically overboard and that for my own lyrical tastes, there are simply too many wordplays featured and that my reading experience would be considerably more joyful and appreciative if Florian’s poems in Insectlopedia were considerably more balanced and not far far too often attempting to be funny and stylistically clever (and so artificially rendered that I for one am generally rather groaning more than a bit regarding Insectlopedia although I do realise that many readers and in particular children might well be much more enamoured of this book and of Douglas Florian’s twenty-one insect poems and their punny humour than I have been). And combined with the fact that I am also not really finding Douglas Florian’s illustrations for Insectlopedia all that aesthetically pleasant (considering his, considering Florian’s featured artwork splotchy, distorted and much too naive for me, and actually often bordering on being rather outlandish and childish), well, for me personally, the combination of Douglas Florian’s poetry and his accompanying images are only at best a two star rating for Insectlopedia.

[Tym · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you enjoy some fairly simplistic poetry and modern art-esque paintings then you’ll love this. There’s some humor in here as well. I think this is one of those “just not for me” things.

[L13_F Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not big on insects but this book was so much fun to read. Many of the poems have rhythm. In The Army Ants poem it sounds like the ants are marching as you read the poem. Other poems are shaped like the insect or what the insect does and have rhythm.In the Inchworm you can almost see the inchworm moving up and down and in The Whirligig Beetles you can see the beetles gliding across water in circles. The illustrations were really well done. I liked them because they were cartoonish and nonthreatening to me unlike real insects are. All the pictures were watercolor and Douglas Florian did them on primed paper bags (per the note at the back of the book).

I think any student could listen to the poems being read to them and feel the rhythm. The poems were relatively easy to read and not a lot of big words so that 2nd graders and up wouldn't have a problem. There were a few made up words like spiderobic (a spider doing aerobics) that students might not understand until they look at the picture and see the spider lifting weights. The poems really let you know about the behaviors and habits of the insects and it would be neat for them to research one of the insects in the book to learn more about them. I think boys would really like this book because of what some of the insects do like hunting for their prey or the destructive behaviors of Weevils.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think insects are cool, and often beautiful in their own way. This book made me find them *less* appealing. Also, it's not scientifically accurate at all. So, what's the redeeming value? There are actually lots of other artistic children's poetry books about insects, bugs, little critters; choose one of them instead.

For just one example, Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems, by the award-winning author of Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night, Joyce Sidman.

[Arline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a fun collection of poems about bugs. Each poem is short and sweet. I would use this book as practice for reading poetry out loud. Students can practice adding tone and timing to the poems to ceate the right mood. I would also use this book as a tool to show how to publish poetry. It shows how poets play with the layout of the text to add to the reading experience (The inchworm poem is one line that arcs across the paper like an inchworm.) This book also is also a fun way to learn about different insects. I would use it as a fun read-a-loud before or at the beginning of a unit on insects to help students gain background knowledge.

[Matthewluke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll admit, I've never been that big of fan of poetry, but after reading the children's poetry book Insectlopedia by multiple award winning author and illustrator Douglas Florian, I'm definitely eager to look for more books in this genre. Overall this is just a fun book to read and the rhythm of the poems feels like the words are bouncing back and forth between your head. This is a great poetry book to read aloud to any Pre-K to 2nd grade class and with a little expression and acting these poems will keep your students entertained and laughing.

Insectlopedia is a collection of poems about insects. Each poem gives a humorous description of the insect (some fact/some fiction) along with a wonderful painting. Some of these insect poems include some wonderful rhyming (You don't need tickets, To listen to crickets!), while others contain great rhythm (The walkingstick is thin, not thick, and has a disappearing trick) and (They lunge. They plunge. They lurch. They lope. Imagine what they'd do with rope!). There are also a handful of poems in this book that are just downright funny, such as my favorite in this collection titled The Mosquitoes (They feast on your skin for take out food.)

Insectlopedia is a great book to introduce students to the genre, that is poetry. Some poetry books, I have found can be confusing to young students because of the subject matter, but with any student who has a pre-existing knowledge of insects (and let's face it, that is any student who has ever been outside!) will easily gravitate towards this book. This books will also help students have a better understanding of poetry through its use of rhyme, rhythm, and alliteration.

Besides teaching students about poetry as a whole, Insectlopedia would be a great idea to use in a science classroom. Here the book could serve students of all ages and in any science class where insects are being discussed. This book could help introduce students to lesser known insects such as treehoppers, weevils, and the mayfly.

Douglas Florian has many other great children's poetry books about all sorts of animals which can be found at http://floriancafe.blogspot.com/

[Anne Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains humorous and interesting poetry that is all about insects. Readers can learn a bit about the insects in this book and they can explore writing, including the use of concrete poems. Some of the poems, such as The Weevils and The Dragonfly, portray the insects as bad guys and dramatize them, which I think is a very cool choice, making a good story and aiding imagination. Others, such as The whirligig Beetles and The Termites, have the words positioned to show readers visually what the poems are about. The Ticks plays with the words and every line ends in "tic." The illustrations for this book were done with watercolor on brown paper bags with collage and are very creative and help the fun poems to come alive. Children can learn a lot and can have fun with this great book!

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

The structure of this book is a collection of short pieces of prose on one side and a caricature-style image on the other. Both relate to a specific type of insect, from spiders to moths to ticks and mayflies. The pictures appear to be watercolors, and while there is no precise detail, there is enough for the experienced reader to recognize the insect.
Some of the insects have facial expressions, which will delight the young reader that pays close attention. The text rhymes and is written at the level of the late elementary school student. A fun book that is also educational, it is a worthy addition to personal and educational libraries.

[Shannon Leal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Poetry
5 stars
Special Feature: Each poem is describing a different insect so, when reading it, kids can try to guess what insect is being described. -- Also the formatting in which the poems are written in sometimes replicate what the insect it's describing looks like as well.
Grades: 3-5
Date completed: October 22

[SaraKat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny poems and lovely abstract and detailed art to accompany them. I found the pictures and poems to be slightly less entertaining than the ones in Mammalabilia, but they were still good. Some were disappointing like the Weevil poem that pronounces judgement on the poor insect calling it evil, which is something I don't think that children should be told. Inconvenient to humans isn't evil.

[Siskiyou-Suzy]

Grabbed this from a discard pile -- can't quite figure out how much I like it. It's beyond my age group, but I love bugs. I tend to not like poetry books, but the poems are so fun and teach interesting things. I'll have to decide later, I guess!

[Araceli Lopez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insectlopedia is a fun compilation of poems about various insects for young readers. There is a variety of different tones in the poems for students to recognize, various illustrations, as well as different shapes of poems.

[Elly Malone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: poetry, informational
Grade Level: k-2

I'm not a fan of bugs and yet I found this book to be adorable. The poems are cute and funny, which I appreciated, so that the reader isn't just looking at facts about bugs. It's truly a sweet book, despite how you might feel about insects themselves.

[Zack McCurry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great poem book that would get boys to be interactive with poems due to the buggy and detailed poems.

[Abbie Gerig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Informational
Grades: 3-5

You would think this book would be boring because it's an encyclopedia about insects, but this book does a great job making it interesting and fun. The facts about each insect are written in poetry and the words are ordered in such a way as to look like what the insect would do (such as the words would go up and down when talking about a grasshopper).

[Sonya Bausinger]

This is a fun book to read when learning about insects. The poems, along with the paintings, are whimsical and fun to read.

[Leonard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really nice informative book with poems and drawings of unusual insects and their lives.

[Ms. Brewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

4th Grader Review:
"It talks all about the insects and the amazing facts about the insects. I like the spider and stick bug parts because its interesting." -KW

[jun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked it fine and the illustrations were good.

[Amanda Hamilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Expressive poems about insects make up the content of Inseclopedia: Paintings and Poems by award-winning author Douglas Florian. Using a fun, narrative style, Florian presents life from an insect’s point of view in the 21 poems of this compilation.

The subject and writing style of Insectlopedia makes it attractive to readers in the middle elementary grades. A table of contents begins the book by listing its works; all titled by the word ‘The’ then the name of the insect. Insects included in the book range from the well-known caterpillars and hornets, to less familiar weevils, treehoppers, and giant water bugs. Students who love insects will especially like Florian’s wide range of bugs included in the book, while less enthusiastic readers will find the poems ‘The Daddy Longlegs,’ ‘The Dragonfly’ and ‘The Monarch Butterfly’ more to their taste.

Florian included rhyme, humor, word play, and other poetic devices in the works of this text. It features poems that are sometimes narrative and concrete, two styles of poems children enjoy. In the poem ‘The Mosquitoes’ he uses rhyme and humor in its construction, as shown through the lines “Mosquitoes are thin./ Mosquitoes are rude./ They feast on your skin/ For take-out food” (Florian 1996, 33). In the work ‘The Termites’ Florian created a poem about termite mounds in the shape of a termite mound across from a painting of a termite mound, which reiterates the subject of this work and makes it more interesting to read.

Florian’s poems are only one aspect of this book, his illustrations stand on their own as well. The artist combines watercolor with collage to create his insect art in an abstract way. Instead of merely painting the insect of the poem, Florian ties other elements into the illustration. The illustration for ‘The Mosquitoes’ shows two insects sucking blood from a human arm, while containers labeled by blood type are shown nearby. Students may not catch what the jars labeled A, B, AB, and O represent, but they definitely receive the message that mosquitoes enjoy biting people. A more light-hearted illustration is that for ‘The Monarch Butterfly,’ which features an abstract butterfly hidden in a crown. Florian uses bright colors, strong images, and abstract artistic elements in the artwork of Insectlopedia.

Engaging poems, interesting subjects, and though-provoking illustrations combine to create a high-quality, artistic poetry collection for children in Insectlopedia. Readers will appreciate Florian’s depth of artwork and humor in text in this award-winning work.

[Chris Maynard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Student Name: Chris Maynard

Purpose: Poetry/Anthology (Wide Reading Project)

Genre: Poetry

Format: Picture Book

Grades: Pre-K to Primary

Subjects/Themes: See the bookshelves above.

School Use: Wow! Douglas Florian's 21 poems on insects would be perfect in the primary grades, especially in a science classroom studying insects. The poems are humorous (though some humor may be lost on children) and the paintings are eye-catching. I believe that young children would really enjoy the poems and learn a lot about insects, a subject that tends to fascinate children this age, at least boys. There is a lot of information about the different insects in the short poems, and I could even see using this collection of poems to introduce science vocabulary like pupa and larvae, as examples. Last but not least, Insectlopedia is a great example of how poetry can be made fun and exciting for children, and how teachers can generate interest for writing poems by introducing students to works like this.

Review: I really enjoyed Insectlopedia, specifically Florian's creativity when introducing different insects in very short poems. It was a funny read, something that both students and the teacher would get a lot out of, not only in terms of content but interest. It always amazes me how much time and effort goes into poetry like Insectlopedia, which is a quick read but certainly required much research and thought (especially in terms of language and presentation) on the part of Florian. For example, consider the form poem on the Round Beetle, which takes the shape of this insect, creating a cool visual aspect and a challenging read. With all that said, I'll leave you with my favorite poem from this collection, The Mosquitoes, to give you a sample of Florian's talent.

Mosquitoes are thin.
Mosquitoes are rude.
They feast on your skin
For take-out food.

I never heard of Florian before this class, and I am glad that I now know him. His poems need to be in any primary classroom library and offer great potential in terms of using literature to teach science.

[Alex Tierney]

Insectlopedia is about all different tyoes of insects and the types of things that they do. One poem is about an army of ants and how they roam around in a swarm. Another poem is about mosquitoes how what they look like and how they act. There is no real plot to the story, there are individual poems that have their own story.
The book has some poems that have rhyme and some that don't. For example, on poem says, "Upon a twig, I sit and pray, For something big, To wend my way." This is an example of a simple rhyme pattern that a child would be able to understand. There is an image for every poem in the book. The images look like they are made out of water color and hand drawn. They show what kind of animal the poem is talking about and the different things that they may do. These poems can expand our knowledge of insects and what insects do. In some of the poem there are strange insects, such as the mosquitoe, that nobody ever really thinks about. The poems give different ways that the insects act and the different things that they are capable of. Insectlopedia is a positive poem that describes insects. There are different word plays, such as "We are weevils, We are evil. We're aggrieved, Since time primeval." There are also a few poems that are written in the shape of the animal that it is describing. There is no real occasion happening in these poems, instead they are describing different insects.
I thought this was a very good poem. I liked the descriptions given to all of the different insects and how some of the poems were shaped like the insect that it was describing. This poem relates to my life because when I was a little kid I would love insects and would want to know more about all of the insects and what they do. I would use this in the classroom to show the children the different kinds of insects there are. I could also take them outside for a little field trip and have them point out and find as many insects that they could. If they saw the insect in real life then they might have a better view as to what the insect looks like.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great collection of insect-themed poems by Douglas Florian. His whimsical rhymes and quickly paced patterns make reading about these bugs fun and enjoyable! Students will love his watercolor illustrations as well.

This book would be a great introduction to poetry unit. Students could mimic Florian's style with poems of their own about insects or other living things. To add some art to the lesson, students could paint their own watercolor illustrations to go with their poems. What a fun project for a class book!

Scholastic Books gives this book a grade-level equivalent reading level of 4.1 but an interest level at K-2. To be used with such young students, this would definitely need to be a read-aloud. As an example of poetry to be replicated, I think students in 3-4th grade would enjoy the book.

[Asa Jacobs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains over twenty poems, each about a different insect. The poems are funny and share details about many insects. The book is wonderfully illustrated with watercolors that tell the story in the poem. The author wrote and illustrated the entire book. I really enjoyed this book and feel students will too.

This book would be great for a variety of classroom activities. It not only provides great poems to share with students but also would be a great addition to a lesson on insects. Each poem shares details about a certain insect but the illustrations elaborate on the topic sharing extra information. This book would be great for a read aloud activity with the class. These poems are written for a 3rd grade reading level and would be appropriate for a variety of students.

[Bernadette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of 21 poems all about insects covers hornets, mosquitoes, crickets, termites, and many more. There is a range of types or genres, and a unique painting accompanies each poem.

I like the paintings as much as I do the poems in this collection. I really like how each insect is given a personality, although it’s not so nice to call weevils evil!  I enjoyed Florian’s invented words such as fatterpillar and spiderobic. The concrete, or shape, poems were some of my favorites. Actually, I can’t decide on a favorite! This book would be a great supplement to science lessons on insects and would also be an excellent model of different types of poems. Students would really get into these funny poems and could write their own on different insects.

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

These sly, humorous poems seem to seize upon certain characteristics of insects and playfully, rhythmically exaggerate them. The mostly watercolor illustrations are delicate and surreal. My three children, especially the two boys, really enjoyed reading these poems aloud, for example, "The Weevils": "We are weevils./We are evil./We've aggrieved/Since time primeval..."
This would be fun to read while studying insects; the students could then write their own poems about insects. They could also use this format (shown in other books by Douglas Florian, such as "mammalabilia") to create a class collection of poems on any subject, such as animals of the arctic, desert, rain forest, etc. This and others of his volumes of poetry could connect to science or social studies units.

[Andrew Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grade Level: Kindergarten - 2nd

What a fun book! I really liked this book. The poems were fun, but actually taught you something about the insect. Some of his poems are even shaped like the insect he wrote about. What an ingenious way of teaching about insects through poetry.

I could see a teacher using this as a bridge between science and ELA. A lesson plan can be easily incorporated to allow students to learn about insects and then write a poem based on their research. Instead of writing a research paper, this type of assignment can challenge them both in vocabulary use and language arts while giving them the science piece in the most creative way. I am already coming up with ideas to use this in a classroom setting to bridge science and ELA. I can't wait!

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a well-put together book. The illustrations are beautiful and
the presentation of the poems very nice. Interestingly, the poems are
a little more child-oriented than the presentation would indicate.

The Giant Water Bug

The giant water bug can lug
His eggs upon his back.
He gives them extra care up there
And guards them from attack.
The mother glues them to the dad,
And on his back they stay.
But does he ever get a card
Or gift for Father's Day?

My fourth graders enjoyed them. With the title, one would think that
only insects would be written about. Not so. We learned about Black
Widow spiders and Daddy Long-legs. We had fun discussing what we
learned about each.

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Douglas Florian poetically introduces readers to a cast of creepy crawlies (mostly insects with a couple arachnids that snuck in).

Poetry is definitely Florian's prime gift. He is a definite wordsmith and the poems are delightful and creative descriptions of the bugs. The illustrations are a unique combination of watercolor and collage. I liked about half of them, and the other half I though maybe little kids had done the artwork for (but not according to the information). The poetry shines bright enough to make this book a treat regardless of how you feel about the artwork.

This would be a great choice for a class studying insects or doing a poetry unit, or for that insect enthusiast you know.

[Mandee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is themed and, as the name would imply, all about bugs. This book has rhythm in that you can feel the marching of the ants in the poem “In The Army Ants” Other poems are shaped like the insect.
The poems explain about the behaviors and habits of the insects.
I believe that Kindergarten through Second grade would enjoy hearing the poems and 2nd through 4th would enjoy reading them on their own.
I liked the illustrations because they were nonthreatening and cartoony in style. The pictures were done in watercolor and primed paper bags (per the note at the back of the book).

I like The Inchworm poem because the reader can almost see the inchworm moving up and down even though it is just one line that arcs across the paper like an inchworm.