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Minibeasts Topic

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Recommended children’s books about minibeasts 

Creepy crawlies, minibeasts, bugs or insects – dig deep into the miniature worlds of these fascinating creatures, with over 25,000 of the species found in Britain and many thousands more all around the globe. From bluebottles and butterflies to wasps and wiggly worms, there’s plenty to discover in the minibeasts topic, including habitats, lifecycles and learning to recognise just how important these tiny creatures are to our planet’s ecosystems. Dig deep into the topic with our list of the best children’s books about minibeasts and insects.

Books about spiders, beetles and ants

Lydia Monks
Picturebook
Little Spider has a lot to prove when she wants to be the family pet. Can she convince a family who is scared of spiders to keep her? This brightly illustrated picturebook is an uplifting story about acceptance and children love to join in with the repeated phrases.
M.G. Leonard
 & Duncan Beedie
Picturebook

From MG Leonard, the award-winning author of Beetle Boy comes a picture book about a little beetle with a big heart! Deep in the rainforest, rhinoceros beetles Buster and Rex are sharing stories. Buster has so many heroic tales – he’s SO strong and daring! Every story leaves Rex in awe – he’s never met such an amazing beetle! But with danger just around the corner, will Buster live up to his reputation, or will it be up to Rex to save the day? After all, bravery comes in all shapes and sizes!

Susie Williams
Non-fiction

Everybody loves beautiful bees and butterflies, but what about kids who like more mucky creatures – the ones that live down in the dirt or eat their own poo? These minibeasts are just as deserving of attention. This illustrated title explores the wonderful world of tiny ants. Did you know that ants will eat almost anything they can find, including fruit, fungus and dead animals. Find out more fascinating facts with this wonderful book about ants. Look out for the other titles in the series too: Snails, Centipedes and Millipedes and Worms.

Matt Carr
Picturebook

Created in Matt Carr’s signature comic-book style with a palette of bold primary colours, this entertaining story follows Spyder, a secret agent arachnid whose codename is 008. Spyder is sent on a highly important mission to save one boy’s birthday cake from the destructive intentions of an uninvited Bluebottle.

The text is full of puns but the humour is perfectly pitched for adults and children alike. It was wonderful to see that the secret agent was female (because why wouldn’t she be?). There are oodles of extra details to spot, such as the various images on the screen of the agent’s spy gadget and the spider webpage at the end of the book.
 This delightful, cool and engaging picture book is a favourite at BooksForTopics HQ and is a real winner in the classroom.

Books about butterflies, bees and winged insects

Jane Clarke
 & Britta Teckentrup
Picturebook
A delightful picturebook filled with beautiful neon artwork. Florence Firefly is lost, and there are so many bright lights shining in the night sky that she doesn't know which way to go. She'll need some help to find her way back home. In this interactive story, children can help Florence on her journey by encouraging her to fly faster, suggesting which direction to take and making a wish.
Charlotte Milner
Non-fiction
Learn all about bees with this brightly coloured and highly appealing non-fiction picture book. Topics include where honey comes from, how hives work, why we need pollination and how to help save more bees.
Nicola Davies
 & Hannah Peck
Picturebook
See how a little girl recovering from poor health finds wonder in nature and delights in planting a garden with her father to attract a fascinating array of butterflies. Exploring the life stages of butterflies, their importance to our ecosystems and the revitalising power of nature, this book is a heart-warming information story for children who love the outdoors and all its incredible creatures. The stories carries a beautiful message about life cycles and the power of new beginnings.  
Janet Burroway & John Vernon Lord
Picturebook
How would you solve the problem if 1 million wasps invaded your town? The residents of Itching Down find a creative solution by trying to construct a giant jam sandwich to trap the wasps. This classic rhyming picturebook and BooksForTopics HQ favourite has stood the test of time and is always a hit in KS1 classrooms.

Books about snails and worms

Ruth Brown
Picturebook
The pages of this picture book contain short, simple text on beautifully detailed illustrations. Follow the journey of the snail as he goes over hills, through tunnels, past slippery things and finally out into a delightful surprise at the end. Things are not always as they seem in this delightful outdoor adventure by the acclaimed Ruth Brown.
Vivian French
 & Jessica Ahlberg
Picturebook
Worms might seem yucky at first, but there's more to these wiggly fellows than meets the eye! Presented in a style to be interesting and accessible to young children, this is a lovely non-fiction text to support a minibeasts topic in EYFS and KS1.
Sue Hendra & Paul Linnet
Picturebook
A super-fun story from much-loved Supertato creators Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet. Norman is a slug who longs to be a snail-if only he could find the right shell! He tries a tennis ball, an apple, and even an alarm clock but none of them feels quite right. Until one day, Norman stumbles upon a doughnut! What could be better than that? But is that sweet shell really the perfect fit?

Books about all different bugs

Yuval Zommer
Non-fiction
This large-sized informative compendium is the kind of non-fiction that children like to come back to again and again to pore over its pages. Each double-page spread dives into a different bug-themed question, such as 'How does a butterfly flutter by?' or 'Where does the name praying mantis come from?'. The illustrations are stunning and come together with the accessible chunks of text to make wonderful and informative spreads that children love exploring.
Anna Milbourne
 & Simona Dimitri
Non-fiction
Come on a bug hunt in this little book and discover ants building their nest underground, bees making honey in their hive and a bug hotel where lots of creepy crawlies have found a home. With colourful illustrations, flaps to lift and holes to peep through, there's so much to discover in this fascinating introduction to insects and where they live.
Matt Robertson
Non-fiction
This award-winning information book aims to show exactly why minibeasts can be truly awesome in their own unique way. The book includes 14 humorous, bug-tastic spreads, featuring worms, bees, beetles, dragonflies, butterflies, moths, grasshoppers, spiders, ants, snails and stick insects. Find out how honey bees make their honey, why moths always fly around lamps and how bombardier beetles protect themselves from hungry predators. There's something new to learn about each bug.
Alex Griffiths
Picturebook
After George visits the Museum of Wildlife with Grandad, all he can think about is bugs! The very next day he goes out hunting, but he soon finds there are no more insects left in the garden, and the ones he has captured in jars don't look very happy... George is about to learn exactly why bugs are so important. A brilliant, vibrant debut from Alex G Griffiths, featuring a wonderful grandfather-grandson relationship.
Jess French
 & Duncan Beedie
Picturebook
Bella Loves Bugs tells the story of a day in the life of a girl who is passionate about bugs, as she goes off to Forest School where she always has many creepy crawlie adventures with her fellow nature hero friends! The book is packed with facts about bugs , some of which Bella regularly spots, but also includes the bugs she dreams about seeing one day - different insects from all over the world. Bella makes a magical moth trap, spies a butterfly laying an egg and shows her friends how to hop like a grasshopper! Follow Bella as she shares her love of bugs - discover how many bugs might be lurking in a pond, see how awesome ants are, and be amazed by mighty stag beetles. With an engaging and lively narrative from Jess French and fun, and warm illustrations from Duncan Beedie this book will help ignite a love and appreciation for nature, right on our doorsteps.

Libby Walden
 & Clover Robin
Non-fiction
Welcome to the Bug Hotel, a homemade habitat where creepy crawlies of all shapes and sizes can find a place to stay! Discover how a bug hotel can create a sustainable, safe environment for insects and mini-beasts by exploring each section, lifting the flaps and finding out facts about your favourite garden insects.
Lucy Cousins
Picturebook
Follow four adorable insect friends as they look for a good place to live. A delightful picture book from the award-wining author and illustrator Lucy Cousins. Four insect friends are looking for a place to live - one that has flowers for Bee, leaves for Ladybird, a pond for Dragonfly and dead wood for Beetle. But - oh no! - with dangers all around, a good place is not so easy to find. This story brings the natural world to joyful and vibrant life for young readers, inviting them to consider what they can do to help make our planet a good place for all living creatures

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