How Strong Is an Ant?: And Other Questions About Bugs and Insects

by Mary Kay Carson, Carol Schwartz (Illustrator)

Are there more insects than people on Earth? Are all bugs insects? And can all insects fly? From the number of legs a ladybug has to the truth about whether termites eat wood and why crickets chirp, this cool book helps children discover some of the world's most amazing creatures. 

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Paperback

Published July 1, 2014

About the author

Mary Kay Carson is an award-winning children’s nonfiction author. She has written more than thirty books for young people about wildlife, space, weather, nature, and history. Her recent non-fiction titles include Emi and the Rhino Scientist, about the Cincinnati Zoo's famous rhino mom; Exploring the Solar System, recipient of the 2009 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Children’s Literature Award; The Wright Brothers for Kids; Inside Tornadoes; and the Far-Out Guide to the Solar System series. The author also gives presentations at schools and libraries about space, animals, history, and writing.

Reviews

[Asa Jacobs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is full of information about insects and how they live their lives. Each page contains a different question about insects. Some of these questions are: Are all bugs insects?, Why do crickets chirp?, How long do insects live?, and How strong is and ant? There are over 20 pages of question like these and fun and interesting answers to go with each one. This book will answer many of the questions students may have about insects.

This book contains information specifically about insects and is meant to educate as well as entertain students. This book has a lexile score of 900 so it is geared towards students in 3rd to 6th grade. I really enjoyed books like this when I was in elementary school and feel it does a good job at sharing information about bugs. This book would be fun to use when having students read short passages. Students could work on summarizing, vocabulary, and comprehension while reading this book. The brief passages will also help students intimidated by long passages feel a sense of accomplishment while reading this book. The Mary Kay Carson has written over a dozen books similar to this about different topics for children to enjoy. Having a variety of these books would be fun for students in any elementary classroom.

[Diana Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This well-written and well-researched book will appeal to readers age six and up. As always, Mary Kay Carson's language is lively, clear, and kid-friendly. The book is packed with the basic information young readers need to know about this topic, but Carson also includes other fascinating facts and quirky details. (Did you know cockroaches hear with hairs on the end of their abdomens?) The question-and-answer format of the book will keep even reluctant readers turning the pages. Photographs and AMAZING illustrations by Carol Schwartz bring the insect world to life and perfectly complement the text. I highly recommend this book!

[Diana Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This well-written and well-researched book will appeal to readers age six and up. As always, Mary Kay Carson's language is lively, clear, and kid-friendly. The book is packed with the basic information young readers need to know about this topic, but Carson also includes other fascinating facts and quirky details. (Did you know cockroaches hear with hairs on the end of their abdomens?) The question-and-answer format of the book will keep even reluctant readers turning the pages. Photographs and AMAZING illustrations by Carol Schwartz bring the insect world to life and perfectly complement the text. I highly recommend this book!

[N. · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best I've read in this series. Good questions that cover a lot of territory; excellent answers.