The Secret Life of Bugs
Moira Butterfield and Vivian Mineker
Happy Yak

In the latest of The Secret Life series Luna the ladybird takes readers on a journey into the world of insects that includes traditional tales as well as information. She begins by presenting her own life story starting when she was one of a cluster of tiny eggs on the underside of a leaf through her metamorphosis until she became a bright red ladybird with seven black spots. I was surprised to learn that there are over 5,000 different kinds of ladybirds in the world. On the next spread, using herself as exemplar, Lily presents the body parts that are similar in all insects as well as talking about some of the differences such as mouthparts. Did you know ladybirds and many other insects smell by means of special organs on their feet?

After this is a traditional tale (one of the five included in this book) How the Butterflies Got their Colour, based on a legend told by native American People living in the Arizona desert.

Insect homes, night fliers, nesting habits are the topics of the next three spreads.

I laughed as I read The Puzzle of the Honey Tree, a traditional tale from southern Europe wherein the bees and the wasps in a woodland kingdom argue over the ownership of a honeycomb containing yummy honey. The idea of the rival factions having to go before an arbitrator really amused me.

Other spreads offer facts on swimming bugs, noisy ones, very large and very small bugs, how bugs see,

some insect ‘superpowers’ and more, concluding with pages encouraging young readers to get involved in helping insects survive so they can continue their vital work on our planet. There are also bug stories from Ancient Greece, Brazil and South America.

In my experience most young children are fascinated by insects; this book will surely further fuel their interest in and understanding of, these important creatures.