Titoli in Insetti e ragni

Honey bees are among the world’s most important insects. They help pollinate many of the crops we depend on for food. Without them, the global food supply would be in great danger. In 1998, beekeepers in Europe made a shocking discovery—almost all of the honey bees had disappeared from their hives. Several years later, beekeepers in the United States found that many of their honey bees had vanished too. Scientists called this disappearance colony collapse disorder (CCD), and at first, no one knew why it was happening.

Stewart the spider is afraid to jump to spin fancy webs like all of the other spiders. His mom gives him a special hat to help him have the faith in himself he needs to spin his webs. When a human waves a broom at the spiders’ webs to destroy them, Stewart must face his fear of jumping–or else!

Lucky Ladybug and her friends Bubbly Butterfly, Buddy Bee, Flashy Fly, and Toodaloo Turtle teach their class about the seasons and the weather. This story is designed to illustrate fun activities that children can enjoy throughout the year, making learning about seasons and weather both enjoyable and educational.

Did you know food scraps you throw away help plants and vegetables grow? Scavengers, animals who eat our food scraps, and decomposers: bacteria, fungi, and insects break the food down into soil. They eat some and put the rest into the soil we use for planting and gardening. Can you guess which animals and bugs make the best decomposers? What are scientists learning about decomposers?

What is juicy, red and green with white stripes and pops up from the ground ready to eat—watermelon! Their seeds need plenty of water, lots of sun and nutrient rich soil. Follow along as a tiny, black seed bursts into a delicious fruit. Watermelons are ready to be picked when their yellow petals have all fallen. Find out what Bee-u-ti-ful insect helps the watermelon grow?

Who is the first to show up to a forest fire? It's not firefighters—it's the Charcoal beetles! Looking for a place to lay their eggs, they search for the hottest parts of the fire in order to use the burnt trees. Learn how these beetles can sense fires and why fires are their ideal breeding grounds. Find out why scientists want to study these unusual bugs in order to help society!

Spider is knitting something special. None of her animal friends can guess what it is, though! Is it a hat? Cape? Or a food pouch? Can you figure out what Spider is knitting? Will her friends, Chickadee, Butterfly, or Chipmunk appreciate her hard work?

Bitsy is scared to climb the waterspout, but her friend, Scoot, triple-fly dared her to do it! She wants to prove she isn’t a little spider, so she begins to climb the spout. What happens when a storm comes in? Will Bitsy be able to find the courage to face her fears?

A young boy is bored during his summer vacation. All his friends have left and his mom banned him from his phone and TV. What else is there to do? When his mom challenges him to follow an ant, will he win the prize? Or will he lose the bet and get stuck with chores?

The insect world is a fascinating place. You may not think so. You may think insects are gross. Or scary. Or dangerous. But there’s so much more to insects than what meets the eye. Told through hilarious prose and packed full of jaw-dropping facts, Brenna Maloney’s first-person narrative presents the big picture on bugs. Insects play a critical role on our planet—as pollinators, garbage collectors, artistic muses, research partners, and even as “dinner.”

Grasshoppers, waterstriders, and fireflies light up the pages of this rib-tickling book of poetry for two voices. Written as spirited duets, the poems ring with the love songs of book lice, the serenades of moths, and a choir of cicadas. Each one is a treat, filled with busy insect life. In addition to the voices of these frisky critters, there are also fascinating tidbits about their lives and habits.