SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Pearl's & Ruby's
  • Politics in Practice
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • *Best New Books*
    • Annual Best Lists
  • Reviews
    • One Star Review
    • Nonfiction
    • Toon Reviews
  • Articles
    • Authors
    • Link Du Jour
  • Covers
    • Covering the Newbery
    • Cover Curiosity
    • Unfortunate Covers
  • News
    • Books on Film
    • Morning Notes
  • Newsletter

June 30, 2008 by Travis Jonker

Nonfiction Monday: The Most Extreme Bugs

June 30, 2008 by Travis Jonker   1 comments

Animal Planet: The Most Extreme Bugs
By Catherine Nichols
Jossey-Bass
ISBN: 9780787986636
$15.95
Grades 3-6
In Stores

*Recommended*

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

It’s summertime here in Michigan and the bugs are out in full force. Ants, spiders, and mosquitoes invade my house day and night. Your common, run of the mill insects. Oh, if only a Spiny Devil Katydid would come strolling through the living room carpet, looking for its next meal. Or maybe a Hummingbird Hawk Moth could hover through the kitchen, eager for a little nectar. Then I might have something to write in my (nonexistent) “What I Did This Summer” journal. Ah, well – at least I have Animal Planet’s countdown extravaganza, “The Most Extreme Bugs”, to pour over as I go and grab yet another wad of Kleenex to keep my wainscoting ‘skeeter free.

In the foreword, an Animal Planet producer confesses an affinity for countdown shows. You’ve seen them on cable – “The 100 Most Unforgettable Terribly Great Power Ballads” and the like. The Animal Planet series on which this book is based operates in this format. A topic is selected, and the countdown to number one begins. “Extreme Bugs” goes for some categories with real kid appeal: the strange looking, the speedy, the deadly, the giant – they strive to max out the high interest meter, and succeed pretty swimmingly.

A book like this would be nothing without some stellar photos. “Extreme Insects” passes the cool picture test with flying colors. They’re plentiful, they’re sharp, they’re close-up. Readers will be pleased with the results.

It has nice photos, but does it have information useful to kids? Indeed. Each bug presented comes with a description that does a not too shabby job of giving the specs. Size, weight, habitat and special information are all there. Not a one stop shop for all your insect information needs, but a solid source to be sure.

So as I continue to wage war with my carpenter ants (yawn), do yourself a favor: get your hands on “Most Extreme Insects” and find out how fascinating bugs can be.

Click here to visit the Nonfiction Monday Roundup at Picture Book of the Day

Find this book at your local library with WorldCat.

Filed under: *Best New Books*, Reviews

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Travis Jonker

Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. He writes reviews (and the occasional article or two) for School Library Journal and is a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee. You can email Travis at scopenotes@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter: @100scopenotes.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

A Fuse #8 Production

Moms Ride: A Q&A with Ishita Jain on Midnight Motorbike

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

The Raven Boys: The Graphic Novel | Review

by Esther Keller

Heavy Medal

Our Mock Newbery List is Up to 52 Titles

by Steven Engelfried

Politics in Practice

When Book Bans are a Form of Discrimination, What is the Path to Justice?

by John Chrastka

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Cover Reveal: Maple for the People by Kate McGovern

by Amanda MacGregor

The Yarn

How Colby Sharp Celebrates Reading with Students

by Colby Sharp

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

10 Films to Ignite Classroom Discussion | Multimedia Video Reviews

Four Breezy YA Summer Reads for Fans of 'Along for the Ride' on Netflix | Read-Alikes

The Purple Crayon on the Big Screen | Opinion

14 Videos to Spark Engagement in Elementary, Middle Grade, and High School Classrooms

14 Videos to Educate and Inspire Classrooms | Multimedia Video Reviews

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Crave Freebies says

    August 16, 2015 at 11:37 pm

    I made a website using joomla and I have a domain and a server, the problem is whenever I go to that domain the site is still unviewable. Does onybody know how to help me out?.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

  • Author/Illustrator Blogs

    • Erin Stead Illustration
    • Hey, Rabbit!
    • James Preller's Blog
    • MATTHEWCORDELLBLOGS
    • Mo Willems Doodles
    • The Scop
  • Book Blogs I Like

    • A Book and a Hug
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • A Kids Book a Day
    • A Year of Reading
    • Abby (the) Librarian
    • Awful Library Books
    • Becky’s Book Reviews
    • Better Book Titles
    • Book-A-Day Almanac
    • Bookends
    • books4yourkids.com
    • bookshelves of doom
    • Bottom Shelf Books
    • Calling Caldecott
    • Caustic Cover Critic
    • Chad C. Beckerman
    • Charlotte’s Library
    • Cheryl Rainfield
    • Chicken Spaghetti
    • CHILDREN’S ILLUSTRATION
    • Collecting Children’s Books
    • Cybils
    • EarlyWord
    • educating alice
    • Finding Wonderland
    • For Those About to Mock
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Good Show Sir
    • GottaBook
    • Great Kid Books
    • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
    • Hi Miss Julie!
    • Jen Robinson’s Book Page
    • Kidsmomo
    • Maria T. Middleton Design
    • Nerdy Book Club
    • Neverending Search
    • Nine Kinds of Pie
    • One Book, Two Books, Old Books, New Books
    • Out of the Box
    • Oz and Ends
    • PlanetEsme
    • Read Roger
    • Reading Rants!
    • Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
    • sharpread
    • ShelfTalker
    • so tomorrow
    • The Children's Book Review
    • The Miss Rumphius Effect
    • Uncovered Cover Art
    • Waking Brain Cells
    • Watch. Connect. Read.
  • Library Blogs

    • ALSC Blog
    • Blue Skunk Blog
    • librarian.net
    • LISNews
    • Stephen's Lighthouse
    • Tame The Web: Libraries and Technology
    • Tame The Web: Libraries and Technology
    • Unshelved
  • Follow This Blog

    Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    Primary Sidebar

    • News & Features
    • Reviews+
    • Technology
    • School Libraries
    • Public Libraries
    • Blogs
    • Classroom
    • Diversity
    • People
    • Job Zone

    Reviews+

    • Book Lists
    • Best Books 2024
    • 2024 Stars So Far
    • Media
    • Reference
    • Series Made Simple
    • Tech
    • Review for SLJ
    • Review Submissions

    SLJ Blog Network

    • 100 Scope Notes
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Heavy Medal
    • Pearls & Rubys
    • Politics in Practice
    • Teen Librarian Toolbox
    • The Yarn

    Resources

    • Reasons to Love Libraries
    • 2025 Youth Media Awards
    • Defending the Canon:SLJ & NCTE Review 15 Banned Classics
    • Refreshing the Canon Booklist
    • School Librarian of the Year
    • Read Free Poster
    • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
    • Research
    • White Papers / Case Studies

    Events & PD

    • In-Person Events
    • Online Courses
    • Virtual Events
    • Webcasts
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Media Inquiries
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Content Submissions
    • Data Privacy
    • Terms of Use
    • Terms of Sale
    • FAQs
    • Diversity Policy
    • Careers at MSI


    COPYRIGHT © 2025


    COPYRIGHT © 2025