Bugs for Lunch

by Margery Facklam, Sylvia Long (Illustrator)

Bon appetit! Kudos to Chef Nature for dishing up these tasty morsels. No reader with a discriminating palate will be able to put this delicious menu of appetizing delicacies down. BUGS FOR LUNCH caters to a full array of creatures–animal, plant, and human–that munch on bugs. From a mantis perched and ready to prey on ladybugs and butterflies, to the honey-drenched fur of a big brown bear munching on a hive full of bees, Sylvia Long's vivid illustrations show close-up details of all sorts of creatures munching on their lunch. These colorful drawings of creatures that live to eat bugs will be your key to discovering a world of insectivores in your own backyard and beyond.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Nonfiction, Childrens, Science, Food, Storytime

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes indeed, Margery Facklam's short but rollicking, song-like verses for her 1999 picture book Bugs for Lunch are pretty much absolutely and totally facile and superficial with regard to their presented informational themes and contents. And as such, and due to the rather intense and obvious textual simplicity of Bugs for Lunch, children above the age of five or six could probably and easily (at least in my humble opinion) become more than a bit annoyed with how very little factual details regarding not only insects but in particular concerning the many living beings (from plants to humans, and not to mention many species of insects themselves) that regularly consume "bugs" as a major part of their diet Margery Facklam in fact textually features within the pages of Bugs for Lunch. Because and unfortunately, even the supplemental details at the back of Bugs for Lunch are pretty sparse with regard to presented facts, figures etc. (and while Margery Facklam's words for Bugs for Lunch are certainly fun and engaging, my inner child has most definitely been majorly rebelling and wanting more, more, more both in the text proper of Bugs for Lunch and also in the supplemental details at the back).

And in fact, the only reason why my rating for Bugs for Lunch is still three and not two stars is that Sylivia Long's accompanying artwork is aesthetically spectacular and with so much depicted visual detail that I could well imagine young children (and perhaps even slightly older ones) poring over the featured illustrations and finding all kinds of interesting details to discover, to appreciate and to ask about. However, the fact that Sylvia Long's pictures do indeed and totally present considerably more than does (in any fashion) Margery Facklam's printed words, this also kind of demonstrates an annoying caesura between text and images and as such Bugs for Lunch is a picture book where I do kind of think that text does not all that successfully mirror image (and vice versa) and to the extent that I almost wish that Bugs for Lunch were a wordless picture book, that Margery Flackham's poetry actually did not exist (for if I am to be brutally honest, Sylvia Long's delightful and lush illustrations are for and to me rather weighed down by Margery Flackham's facile and seriously lacking with regard to factual information text).

[Megan MacDonald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Children love yucky books! Thinking about eating bugs is sure to keep children engaged and this book is also educational at the same time. Different types of animals and bugs are featured in this text, as well as rhyming words. This is another good book for introducing and practicing words that rhyme and students could even pick out the rhyming words. Overall, this was a fun, silly, yucky book!

[Kristen Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book to teach about insects and what type of animals/people eat them to live. It shows a large variety of animals that eat different types of insects and also explains that humans sometimes eat bugs too. At the end of the book it gives a a list of the animals presented in the book and describes how and why they eat insects. It also explains how, why, and where humans eat insects. It would be great to show cultural diversity and explain how not everyone is the same.

[Adam Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

So fun! My boys really like this book. Not only does this book have really nice artwork actually illustrating--in detail--creatures eating bugs, but also it attempts to expand its readers minds (and dinner menus?) by showing that people can eat bugs too.

I'm pretty sure my family's not ready to serve up creepy crawlies for supper yet, but we all "devoured" this book. If you're interested you might be able to find it at your library, or you can find it here on Amazon: http://amzn.to/XA7RHO

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun book about insects and who eats them. It's a "gross" book that children are sure to love. With a simple, rhyming narrative and colrful illustrations, it's an interesting book to read aloud. We enjoyed reading it together.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading this, kids may understand that bugs are an important part of life on Earth -- so many animals rely on them as a food source. (Even some people!)

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really clever way to cover the non-fiction topic of which animals eat bugs for lunch. The author writes all of these in sing songy rhyme and covers a multitude of bug-eating animals, from mice to toads to birds and spiders.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute picture book about insects and the birds, animals, other insects, and even people who eat them. Large, full-color pages are beautifully illustrated with a wide variety of insects, spiders, caterpillars, animals, etc., for the enjoyment of your toddler who loves bugs.

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked how short and simple the book was but it contained a lot of information. I also liked how it mentioned other cultures and that some eat bugs.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rhyming text introduces bug-eating animals such as geckos, trout ... even people. Includes additional facts about each creature.

[Doris · Rating 5 out of 5]

library book but will be buying

[Char · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never thought about all the different things that could eat bugs! I love that they included children eating bugs at the end of the book too. Nature and culture.

[Kimberly]

1 sentence per page. Big simple illustrations. Good variety of bugs. A bit of rhyming.

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating book for children on animal after animal that eats bugs.

[Adrianne Rosal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh yummy!!!!!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated the realistic illustrations in this picture book.

[Danielle Witter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book, and I like how it has a list of all the different bugs as the end of the book.

Summary: This book talks about different types of animals and the types of bugs that they would eat for lunch. For example, it talks about what a praying mantis, a spider, and a caterpillar would eat for lunch. A praying mantis will eat any bugs that are smaller than it is, a spider will eat bugs like flies and anything that gets stuck in its web, and a caterpillar eats the leaves and other small bugs. At the end it talks about people who eat bugs because of the lack of meat in some places.

How to use this book with students: This book is intended for Kindergarten-2nd grade, and at they end of the book it has all the different types of bugs that the book was talking about. So, you could make a lesson plan around one of all of the different bugs in the back of the book.

[Irina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book that goes through some of the many animals that might have bugs for lunch. This is a great book to read for science when talking about bugs and the many animals that consume them. This book can also be used as a math counting book for youngsters since there are many little bugs that can be counted through the pages.

[Charis · Rating 5 out of 5]

While some of the rhymes felt contrived, the rhyming was a fun and creative way to introduce the animals that eat bugs. The extra pages at the end which described each animal in more detail were an added bonus. The detailed illustrations, combined with the detailed back pages, make this book scientifically valuable to children.

[Heather Ledet · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice introduction to insects and the animals that eat them! Introduces the fact that many cultures also consider insects delicious food. The end has more detailed information about the insects and the animals that eat them.
A good beginning reading book for 1st grade.

[Kristin Hamrock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Children love books like this about animals and bugs! This book is about different animals and what kinds of bugs that they eat. It is sure to keep children engaged based on the subject as well as the great illustrations that take up the entire page.

[Kellee Hao · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grade: 1st
This is a very interesting story that is telling a eating cycle from a bug to other bigger animals to humans! Not only is it a little funny, but it also rhymes as well, so yes, it is a poem! This would be a great addition to your science animal for your classroom library.

[Vilo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book which shows different animals that each bugs for lunch--including people! A friend from Congo had already told me she grew up eating grasshoppers. Several of the families I work with from Mexico told me that insects are a food source in their villages.

[Kevin Bokay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful rhyming book about animals, insects, and even people who eat bugs. Great for the SRP 2008.

[Sarah Kramer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Themes: insects, food

[Marisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good rhyming text. Non-fiction, but short enough for a storytime. Good vocabulary.

[Katie Scherrer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bugs for lunch? EEWWW!!!! This book is great for an insect theme.

[Bella · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book taught me about what bugs eat for lunch. I learned what spiders eat, and how they get their food and other insects and how they get their food. It was a good book.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure how I just happened to come across this book. Would be great to use with a study of insects--animals (and people) who eat bugs. Rhyming text, facts.

[Bree · Rating 2 out of 5]

Notes:
not a fan of books that encourage kids to think bugs are gross/scary
short, rhyming text