Beetle Bop

by Denise Fleming

They crawl up walls, they hide in cracks, they flip, they fly, and sometimes . . . crrrash. Beetles come in all shapes and sizes, and they are everywhere in this thoroughly buggy, beautifully designed book. There are striped beetles, spotted beetles, all-over-dotted beetles--and don't forget the noisily gnawing beetles Whether you love bugs or whether the sight of them makes you itch, you'll adore this infested offering from the beloved Denise Fleming.

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

1 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2007

About the author

Denise Fleming has written and illustrated many children’s picture books, including In the Tall, Tall Grass, Shout! Shout It Out!, and Sleepy, Oh So Sleepy. She won a Caldecott Honor for In the Small, Small Pond. Denise creates her colorful illustrations by pouring colored paper pulp through hand-cut stencils. She lives in Toledo, Ohio.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/denise...
http://www.simonandschuster.com/autho...

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm afraid this one just didn't work for me though I see it's popular with many readers. It's a fun concept, but the illustrations just felt too muted or something for my taste... sometimes it was hard to discern the bugs very clearly. I'll round up to three stars as the text is pretty fun. Not a lot of "educational" value in this one, just a fun celebration of bugs. Along similar lines, I preferred "Some Bugs" by DiTerlizzi (sorry, link isn't working) and that's the one that my kids asked me to reread.

[Maja · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Diving beetles, whirling beetles, spiraling, swirling beetles.” Beatles live in a variety of habitats and come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. “Beetle Bop” is a book about the insects with a poetry spin. Full of repetition, this is a great book for emergent students. Not only is this book full of descriptors but it is also a great way to practice rhyming words. The overall message of this story focuses on appreciating the variety of beetles in a curious way. This book would be a great addition to a science unit on insects. Students may even want to find more information on a specific beetle and share it with the class. The author even included an additional page at the end of the book with extra information about beetles. The pictures are vibrant and use a collage like method to convey the various shapes, patterns and colors beetles come in. While some of the illustrations are strong and clear, some are a bit blurry and hard to understand. Overall, this book is simple, exciting and vibrant making it a great fit for early ages.

[Dina McPhee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read by Laura on the London Public Library's "Books for Babies" program. So fun! The beetles are cute and colourful and it leaves you wanting to be curious and kind to beetle bugs.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated, with rich vocabulary and repetitive words. Makes you like bugs, believe it or not!

[Nia King · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story explores all different types of beetles. This can be used during a science lesson discussing this topic. The descriptive text and repetition helps with vocabulary and emerges literacy.

[The Reading Countess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emerging readers will enjoy the repetition. The bright illustrations and the clever way the letters at times help support the reader make this a science must-read.

[Ramon Requena · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is just about beetles and the different kinds of them that there are, this being in color, patterns, or types overall. There is about a sentence about beetles in each page with rhymes and rhythms. This book is so simple that it can be read in quick fashion but it is the art that keeps the page turning to slow manner.
The media used in this book is that of paint on paper. There is a beautiful simplicity to the art in this book, which is why it takes longer to go through the pages as the drawings that accompany the simple poetry are so engulfing in the whole book.
This book is limited to just simple poetry about beetles and there is so much that can written about them. That is not a bad thing as looking at the different beetles and their describing words keeps the fun going. This book can easily accompany an art activity a chosen bug or insect with a short poem describing appearances. This will be best for a first grade or even a kindergarten class.

[Kendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

What kid doesn't love the creepy crawlers? "Beetle Bop" by Denise Fleming was published in 2007. It is about the bugs that come in all different sizes. They are crawling up the wall, they hide in cracks, they flip, they fly, and sometimes they crash.



This book has such unique illustrations though, I wish that they used photographs of actual beetles. This book is really cute with it's rhyme. My kids really enjoyed the repetition through out this book as well as the rhyming throughout. This book is good to go on our book shelf.

[Victoria Whipple · Rating 4 out of 5]

How can Fleming make the scant words in this vibrant, texture-filled book pop? Illustrations play the starring role, but text is a strong supporter mimicking beetles’ motions, sizes, color, activities. Sounds, shapes, actions are all shown through text layout so that even non-readers can see, for example, the difference between big and small.

[Alyssa Gudenburr · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great bug book for storytime. Simple and short sentences, great illustrations.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the bright pictures and fun rhythm of this book.

[Mellanie C · Rating 4 out of 5]

The little ones at day care enjoyed this story.

[Kimberly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Denise Fleming’s illustrations have never appealed to me, even though I can see why kids like them. My bias plus the subject matter here left me more squicked out by this one than I was expecting.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Super sparse text and messy watercolor illustrations describing the actions and looks of beetles. Simple enough for toddlers to understand, but not enough text to engage older kids.

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun book about bugs, this one highlighting different kinds of beetles. Lots of fun descriptive words that would be fun to act out.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book about beetles with a fantastic cadence.

[Paige Soughan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reads like a song!

[JadeShea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beetle Bop had a few cute rhyming words, but I wasn't super impressed with the story. The illustrations were a bit odd as well. This just wasn't for me.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, you know, just another fine book recommended by Let’s Find Out!! Rhyming book based on beetles and all the things they do. Illustrations were colorful.

[Haley Kilgour · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not too much of a plot outside of being all about beetles. Fairly good for a younger age group at story time.

[Marisa Duarte · Rating 4 out of 5]

A science-based rhyme about collecting beetles. Fun for 3 to 5 years old.

[Emily Knickerbocker]

This book was more of a rhyming book about beetles. I would have my students pick a beetle and make a little poem or rhyme with it.

[Kimberly]

1 sentence per two pages, adjectives describing beetles.

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rhyming book on beetles.

[Runell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read to my 4 year old

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Toddler and preschool
Rhyming text

[Emilie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a GREAT read aloud. And wonderful illustrations! It's suited for a read aloud where you encourage children to act out some of the descriptions as able (buzz, hum, drum, big, small, diving, whirling, etc).

[Cameron Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great information on how beetles act. These are a critter which kids may not think much of, but after reading this book, it'll make them think twice about smashing the next black beetle they see. There's a cool rhythm that flows to the book, extremely kid friendly and active.

[Hannah Hayes · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is about all the different kinds a beetles. This book does not go into detail about every sngle one but it does start to show how even bugs are unique.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beetle Bop by Denise Fleming is an ode to beetles of many types and sizes, with a rhythmic, rhyming text and drawn in Fleming's signature style.

Fleming lists and shows beetles of various markings, colors, sizes, and shapes. These beetles may eat and sound differently. Some beetles will live in different habitats, and move differently. With all their variety and in great numbers, bettles bop!

Fleming's text is successful in using a wonderful mix of descriptive words to describe the many types of beetles. The rhythm and rhymes used make this a fun read-aloud. The bold text in large fonts makes this easy to read, with a little help needed for new vocabulary words that may be encountered.

Fleming's illustrations were created by pouring colored cotton fiber through hand-cut stencils. Making this book even more appealing are the other animals and plants shown, which include squash, a skunk, a toad, a salamander, and a bird.

This title should appeal to young listeners who will like the rhyme, rhythm and sinple illustrations which introduce the natural world to toddlers and preschoolers. Older listeners will appreciate the language and vocabulary.

For ages 2 to 6, beetles, animals, nature, rhymes, and fans of Denise Fleming.