From butterflies to roly-polies, bugs captivate kids of all ages. Kids are known for digging in the dirt, playing with ants, and catching fireflies. In fact, most of us have memories of these exact activities from when we were kids.
These 35 books about bugs will bring back the buggy nostalgia while also introducing your kids to the many insects of the world.
1. What Bug Am I? by Skye Wade
2. The Berenstain Bears' Big Book of Science and Nature by Jan and Stan Berenstain
The Berenstain Bears go on an adventure with Professor Actual Factual to learn about all different aspects of nature. From animals to creepy crawly insects, the bears embark on three big adventures to learn all about the natural phenomena around us.
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3. My First 100 Bug Words by Chris Ferrie
With 100 beautiful illustrations, this beautiful book introduces 100 words that toddlers should learn to expand their bug vocabulary. Each page covers 8 bug-related words for toddlers to learn to help them talk about the insects around them.
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4. I Spy Bugs and Insects Book For Kids by Gabrielle Simpson Press
Your toddler will love looking for spiders, butterflies, lightning bugs and so much more in the collage illustrations of this I Spy book. This book offers an opportunity for toddlers to practice their alphabet while learning about their favorite bugs.
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5. Insects & Bugs For Kids: An Introduction to Entomology by Jaret C. Daniels
This easy-to-understand book is the perfect tool for young entomologists. Kids will learn about all kinds of insects including what they eat, where they live, and their life cycle. The photographs offer real depictions of each bug so kids can visualize it while they learn.
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6. The Firefly With No Glow by Rebecca Smallberg
Luke is a firefly, but unlike all his friends, he doesn't glow! When a little boy traps him and his friends, Luke must use his darkness, now a benefit, to save his firefly friends. With short sentences and new words to sound out, this adorable book is perfect for emerging readers.
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7. What Makes Bugs Beautiful by Skye Wade
Hercules is a beetle on a mission to help his friend. With bright bug illustrations and visuals, kids learn about what makes each bug unique and beautiful. This book is perfect to teach young readers not to fear bugs and to embrace all nature has to offer.
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8. Little Bug on the Move by Stephanie Babin
This interactive preschool book allows young readers to help a little bug navigate through different landscapes. This is the perfect read-aloud book with bright illustrations and short text to engage busy toddlers.
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9. Anthill by Petra Bartakova
Kids are obsessed with ants and this board book helps them learn all about what ants do to survive. Kids will travel inside an anthill to learn about the different types of ants, how ants work together to survive, and what the inside of an anthill looks like.
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10. Baby Bug by Wednesday Kirwan
This book for children is perfect for new parents to read to their little ones. Baby Bug travels through nature during springtime and meets new bugs that teach Baby Bug important new skills like how to wiggle and how to roll.
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11. Where's My Little Love Bug?: A Mirror Book by Pamela Kennedy
Kids and parents will love this interactive board book. Children will find parent-child bug pairs by lifting flaps. This fun rhyming book engages kids as they learn through activity, creating special memories of reading with their own parents.
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12. Garden Wigglers: Earthworms in Your Backyard by Nancy Loewen
Kids will love learning all about earthworms in this factual book. They will learn about the physical characteristics of worms, as well as their anatomical features and behavior. The cartoon-like illustrations keep kids interested with easy-to-understand diagrams and descriptions.
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13. Firenze's Light by Jessica Collaco
Firenze is a firefly, but she doesn't exactly love her light as her friends do. For one, it's difficult to play hide-and-seek! Firenze must decide whether to let her light shine so her friend can display her artwork, or keep her light hidden because she doesn't like it.
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14. The Magnificent Book of Insects and Spiders by Weldon Owen
This beautiful, fact-filled book explores 36 different insects through eye-popping illustrations. Kids will explore several different natural habitats, along with unique insect behaviors that they will find fascinating.
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15. The Backyard Bug Book for Kids by Lauren Davidson
With colorful photographs, kids will get to see bugs as they are in real-life. Each page offers different challenges for children to conquer, fun facts, as well as a story. This photo-filled book is perfect for young readers learning about the world and insects around them.
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16. The Honeybee by Kirsten Hall
Told through beautiful verse, children will follow a honeybee through a myriad of flowers. The board book includes cheerful illustrations that will captivate kids while teaching them the awesome importance of honeybees.
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17. The Caterpillar Looks for His Mother by Julia Zheng
This bedtime story follows Peter, a caterpillar born alone on a leaf. He is looking for his mother, and as he does, he encounters different creatures that offer some help along the way.
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18. A Worm Called Wallace by Jamie Rose
This rhyming story teaches kids about the importance of self-worth, as well as the importance of nature all around us. This funny and educational story is complete with charming illustrations that kids of all ages will love, and parents will love reading it to them.
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19. 100 Questions About Bugs by Simon Abbott
This nonfiction book of answers is perfect for emerging readers who have oh-so-many questions about the world around them. The book offers the answers to 100 buggy questions with amazing facts, lovely illustrations, and even some fun bug jokes.
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20. Out in the Wild! by Mike Lowery
This is the first book in a Grafix Chapter Book series. Doug, Abby, and Josh are the Bug Scouts and they must earn different bug badges. These hilarious characters will endear young readers, boys and girls alike. This series is the perfect introduction to graphic novels for young readers.
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21. Don't Feed the Worry Bug by Andi Green
Meet Wince--a constant worrier. But every time he worries, his WorryBug appears, and the more he worries, the bigger his WorryBug grows. Kids will learn that worrying is a part of life, but that this complex emotion can be controlled in this wonderfully told kid's story with an important life lesson.
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22. Bug on the Rug by Sophia Gholz
This lovely story about a pug and a bug on a rug is both hilarious and charming. This book teaches the important skills of rhyming and inference to emergent readers and it's a perfect read aloud for all ages.
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23. Battle Bugs: The Lizard War by Jack Patton
In the first book of the series, Bug Island is under attack by the lizard army. The bugs must rely on Max, a human, to help them defend their island against the intruders. This book series is perfect for beginner chapter book readers.
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24. Small Wonders: Jean-Henri Fabre and His World of Insects by Matthew Clark Smith
Henri is a young boy in the French countryside and he is obsessed with insects. This children's book follows Henri as he observes wasps, beetles, and moths in their natural habitats. He introduces these creatures to the world, forever changing how we views insects.
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25. Evelyn the Adventurous Entomologist by Christine Evans
This nonfiction children's book explores the life of Evelyn Cheesman, born in England in 1881. In her time, girls were expected to wear dresses, get married, and have kids, but Evelyn loved to crawl in the dirt and play with bugs. Children will be inspired by Evelyn's life as she defies societal standards and follows her dreams.
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26. Insect Detective by Steve Voake
Readers will become instant detectives as they learn where and when to look for bugs. Perfect for elementary readers, this book encourages kids to use their inference and decoding skills to learn about the lives of the bugs around them.
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27. The Bug Club by Elise Gravel
This nonfiction book explores all the odd and interesting facts about bugs that you probably didn't know. For example, did you know caterpillars have 12 eyes?! Using cartoon-like illustrations and a multitude of fun facts, Gravel awakens the curiosity in all of us.
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28. The Bug Girl: A True Story by Sophia Spencer
This is a true story about the author, Sophia Spencer. She loved bugs, but the kids around her bullied her for her hobby. That is until women scientists around the world band around her, encouraging her to follow her passion. #BugsR4Girls
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29. A Way With Wild Things by Larissa Theule
Poppy is a nature-loving introvert and a master of camouflage. One day at a party, Poppy sees a beautiful dragonfly land on the cake and she must reveal herself to the crowd. This book celebrates introverts and encourages children to embrace who they are at heart.
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30. Bugs Have Feelings, Too by Marie Gerbasi
This book focuses on empathy for all living creatures, but especially for bugs, the often misunderstood creatures around us. This book teaches readers to learn new things about special bugs and embrace the qualities that make each bug unique.
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31. Bug Hotel by Libby Walden
Kids will love hanging out at the Bug Hotel, where creatures of all kinds can find a place to stay. This innovative children's book allows kids to explore how bugs live by lifting flaps and learning facts about the insects living all around them.
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32. Buzzing With Questions: The Inquisitive Mind of Charles Henry Turner by Janice N. Harrington
Charles Henry Turner is the first black entomologist. In this nonfiction picture book, kids will learn how Turner never stopped exploring and finding answers to his questions despite the racial prejudice he faced.
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33. My Little Golden Book About Bugs by Bonnie Bader
This nonfiction picture book is perfect for preschool emerging readers. With simple prose and a simple story, kids will learn all kinds of facts about bugs that will help them make sense of the natural world around them.
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34. Bonkers About Beetles by Owen Davey
Did you know that beetles make up 25% of all the animals on our planet?! This book explores the lives of the 400,000 species of beetles. From the Elephant Beetle to the Goliath Beetle, young readers will find everything they need to know about beetles in this comprehensive book.
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35. Rebugging the Planet by Vicki Herd
This nonfiction book is for all readers who are concerned about the longevity and sustainability of the world around us. Several people explain how small changes can make a big difference for the little bugs around us, which we need to protect Earth's ecosystem.
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