INSECTLOPEDIA BY DOUGLAS FLORIAN

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Florian, Douglas. 1998. INSECTLOPEDIA. San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace & Company. ISBN-10: 0152163352

2. PLOT SUMMARY
In this whimsical anthology about insects, Florian creates a playful and beautifully illustrated collection of poems. Insectlopedia features educational poems that engage young readers by exploring the many different characteristics of a wide variety of fairly common insects. In his poems, the author provides enough interesting clues to create curiosity about the many little friends that share our world.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
In Inseclopedia, Florian writes amusing poems that creatively instruct us about some common and some not so common facts about the insects that fill our world. In verse, he showcases the amazing diversity that surrounds us
Florian has a talent for applying interestingly descriptive words to insects (and arachnids). For example, in “The Black Widow Spider”, Florian describes a black widow by using such fanciful language as “From my eight dainty legs to my shine round back”. In “The Walking Stick”, in rhyming short verses he educates readers about the walking stick’s unique body style qualities. Florian does a masterful job of creating poems that encourage students to make inferences as to the reasons why a certain verse was included. For example, he ends the “The Monarch Butterfly” with “swallows that swallow him/frequently puke.”
This book is a useful tool for parents and educators who want to encourage children to be problem-solve and to investigate the small, but very complex creatures that co-exist with us. It also fosters a connection to poetry in young readers by introducing them to verse that entertains, amuses, and intrigues young and old.

4. AWARDS WON AND REVIEW EXCERPTS
PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY: “…Florian manages to seamlessly blend science with pure whimsy.”
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “Florian offers 21 short, inventive poems and paintings that create playful images of animals.”
BOOKLIST: “…a witty collection of short poems about insects and spiders.”
KIRKUS REVIEWS: “…Read alone or read aloud, each of these ticklish tidbits features an individual member of the insect world.”

5. CONNECTIONS
Readers who enjoyed Insectlopedia might also enjoy the following:
Florian, Douglas. On a Wing. ISBN-10: 0152023666
Hopkins, Lee Bennett. Spectacular Science: A Book of Poems. Ill. Virginia Halstead. ISBN-10: 0689851200
Lewis, J. Patrick. Scien-Trickery: Trickery in Science. Ill. Frank Remkiewitz. ISBN-10: 0152058494