Noisy Bug Sing-Along

Awards

Reviews

In this colorful picture book, Himmelman introduces the sounds of “noisy bugs” and invites children to sing along with them. Each double-page spread focuses on one insect, with a line of text, such as “A Dog-Day Cicada buzzes LOUDLY high in a tree. / ZZZZZZZZ,” and a meticulously drawn, large-scale image of the animal, with color, texture, and shading apparently added digitally. The big, bold images make the illustrations inviting to children, while the accurate depictions of individual insects reward closer study. Among those featured are the tiger moth (SQUEAKA-SQUEAKA-SQUEAK), the mosquito (mmmmmm), and the bush katydid (tick-tick-tick zeezeezeezee). In contrast, the butterfly flies by in silence. An appended section provides the sound waves (on paper and, through a link, in audio files) recorded for each example; a paragraph of information about each bug and its sound; and good children’s activities for related of insect sounds. For a rousing read-aloud session, pair this well-focused book with Ant Ant Ant: An Insect Chant (2005).

— ALA Booklist (June 1, 2013)

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A still summer evening isn’t always quiet for those who listen carefully. They might hear and identify some noisy bugs using this simple primer. Himmelman devotes a spread to each insect and its distinctive sound. Though the text is simple, with just one line per page, the author packs in the information. He includes the complete name of the bug and an easy-to-replicate phonetic description of the sound. Readers will also learn about how the noisy creature adapts to its environment. For example, a Dog-Day Cicada buzzes high in a tree, not near the ground. The textual information is set off by larger-than-life illustrations. The colors are saturated but still realistic. There are enough details in the pictures to serve as a beginning identification guide. Additional details about all of the bugs is appended. Nature activities are included. This book will be well-used on trips to the woods and in backyards throughout the summer, wherever noisy bugs can be found.

— School Library Journal (May 2013)

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Insects can be noisy. That’s the clear message of this natural history story for young readers. “Field Crickets sing from beneath leaves. CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP,” and “A Dog-Day Cicada buzzes loudly high in a tree. ZZZZZZZZZ.” Grasshopper, katydid, bumblebee, click beetle, and others contribute to this natural symphony- but not the butterfly, which “flutters by in complete silence.” The insect sounds are graphically amplified, accompanied by oversized, accurate illustrations. Though this is only a brief introduction to the subject, the author makes it a memorable one, with additional text at the end to help satisfy the curiosity of young readers.

— The Bloomsbury Review – M. Woos (August 2013)

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This playful introduction to six-legged critters is perfectly tuned to a tot’s love of sound and color. Youngsters can squeaka-squeaka like a tiger moth, buzzzzzz like a bumble bee, and tick-tick-tick zeezeezee like a bush katydid. Each double-page spread reveals the insect in its natural habitat, and both are rendered with scientific accuracy in bright, though realistic, colors. (No crickets in top hats or neon green foliage.) Readers get a sense of scale, too, by seeing a bug beside, for example, a blueberry that appears to be the size of an orange. Through text, pictures, and informative backmatter, John Himmelman shines an appreciative spotlight on our native creepy-crawlies and encourages children to attend to the wild chorus around them. Celebrate the first day of spring (March 21) by humming a buggy song!

— Washington Parent – Mary Quattlebaum (March 2013)

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Kids will delight in hearing readers make funny noises as they “sing” along with the insects featured in Noisy Bug Sing-Along (Dawn Publications) written and illustrated by John Himmelman.The book introduces a wealth of rarely featured bugs from tree crickets that “ring like a telephone,” to the squeaking tiger moth, to the tick-ticktick- ing, zee zee zee-ing bush katydid. Colorful pictures depict larger-than-life bugs that seem to hover and dance, and information at the end includes insect sound waves and ideas for imitations.

— E Magazine (March 2013)

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Noisy Bug Sing Along by John Himmelman is the book you are looking for if you want to hone your listening skills while you are learning about the insects around you. While this book is simple in its text, it is great for onomatopoeia. All the sounds that the insects make encourage us to interact with the book, while making us more aware of the outdoor sounds around us. The author is noted for his nature awareness books and this one is no exception. The end of the book provides lots of additional information about each insect and the sounds each one makes. You can go to the website and lick on the audio files if you want to see and hear what each insect sounds like. This is the perfect book for both indoors and outdoors.

— Western New York Family Magazine – Dr. Donna Phillips (April 2013)

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I absolutely love bugs! In fact, if I were not a writer, I’d choose to be an entomologist. There’s just so much to learn about bugs, and they are so fascinating to look at, too. Noisy Bug Sing-Along ($8.95, Dawn Publications, Ages 3-8) written and illustrated by John Himmelman provides the littlest readers with a delightful introduction to the world of common bugs. Himmelman, who has written and illustrated more than 75 children’s books, started a “Bug Club” when he was eight years old. He has since co-founded the Connecticut Butterfly Association. How wonderful it is that he utilizes this love of nature to educate and express himself through his books!

Inside the pages of Noisy Bug Sing-Along are big bold, eye-catching illustrations, with close-up detail of bugs and their surroundings. Simple one line prose teach readers about the sounds each critter makes, while the illustrations teach them about the environments where one may find them.

In the back of the book are illustrations of the sound waves coming from each bug, plus more information about the different species and tips about what to watch and listen for when you are looking for bugs in your own back yard.

Curious kids will love Noisy Bug Sing-Along. When my daughter (now in college studying Geology) was young, I bought her a plastic bug box that came with a little magnifying glass. She would spend hours catching and studying bugs before releasing them back into the wild.

I’ve had the pleasure of reading many Dawn Publications books, and each and every title educates children about plant and animal life on our planet, how to identify it, grow it, respect it, care for it and learn more about it. What a terrific mission that is.

— Good Reads with Ronna – Debbie Glade (March 20, 2013)

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This simple, but beautifully illustrated book introduces us to a dozen insects and the sounds that they make. Each one is presented in a two-page spread, which invites close study of every detail. With the coming of spring and soon, summer, birds and bugs are the things I find my toddler most interested in. While this book is geared for those aged 3 to 8, even my two-year-old enjoys it. It has taught him the names of these insects and he greatly enjoys mimicking all of their noises.

Like many titles from Dawn, the final four pages are packed with additional information and suggestions for extension activities. There are facts about the bugs, a list of additional nature awareness titles, a bit about sound and animal adaptation, and an introduction to sound waves and how they work. A trip to the book’s website will allow you to listen to actual recordings of these insect noises, which my son found especially delightful.

Overall, this is a wonderful title and a perfect addition to the summer reading basket.

— Blogcritics.org – Courtney Cable (May 28, 2013)

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A lifelong love of bugs brought John Himmelman to a career teaching children about nature. His ongoing enthusiasm is evident from the first page of this, his most recent children’s book.

The bold, action-packed illustrations can’t help but draw children in as they move from field crickets to click beetles to dog-day cicadas to mosquitoes. Having gotten their attention, Himmelman ends the book with several pages of “advanced” education. Children will find visual representations of the soundwaves created by each bug in the story, a page of suggested activities for listening to bugs, and a brief, illustrated glossary of noisy bugs.

This one is a standout in Dawn Publications’ stellar lineup of children’s nature books!

— Retailing Insight – Anna Jedrziewski (March 21, 2013)

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Dogs bark and cows moo, but what kinds of sounds do insects make? Well, field crickets sing from beneath leaves, “Chirp Chirp Chirp.” Most of us have probably heard them at one time or another. Author and illustrator John Himmelman describes the sorts of sounds made by twelve different insects, including three types of crickets, click beetles, cicadas, bumblebees, mosquitoes, true and bush katydids, and grasshoppers. I didn’t know that tiger moths can make very high squeaks to warn bats away. Did you? We can’t hear them, but the bats can. And do butterflies make any sound?

When Himmelman was eight, he started his first “bug club” in a friend’s garage and has been playing with insects ever since. He is the author and illustrator of over 75 books for children.Noisy Bug Sing-Along encourages children to know that there’s a lot going on out there and to open their ears to the wonderful concert happening every warm day and night in our nearby yards, fields, and woods. The sing-song text tells kids who is making what sound and why, while the illustrations give scientifically accurate and up-close depictions of the bugs. There is additional information in the back of the book about the different bugs, their sound waves, and how to listen for them. Educational resources for teachers and parents are available at the publisher’s website.

— Home School Book Review – Wayne Walker (April 2013)

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In Noisy Bug Sing-Along, kids and their parents can make sounds like tree crickets (which “ring like a telephone”), a Dog-Day Cicada (which “buzzes LOUDLY high in a tree”), a grasshopper (which “snaps its wings”), and many other insects in the world! Kids will love the BIG bug illustrations by John Himmelman, too. One of the best features of Dawn Publications books is the additional information at the end of the book. In Noisy Bug Sing-Along, kids learn about sound waves and see how they differ for each insect. They’ll also find more information about the bugs and fun activities to do (such as how to make their ears bigger so they can hear like a bat)! And when you go to the book’s page at dawnpub.com/our-books/noisy-bug-sing-along, you can listen to audio files of what the bugs really sound like!

— Susan Heim, Chicken Soup for the Soul Editor (March 2013)

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Also released by Dawn this month, Noisy Bugs Sing-Along has already been added to my Growing Up WILD and PLT Early Childhood suitcase. The book perfectly accompanies sensory activities (such as Sounds Around) by opening children’s ears to listen and mouths to “sing like a katydid, hummmm like a mosquito and even sail silently like a butterfly.”

— Envirnonmental Education Assn. of Illinois – Sarah Livesay (April 2013)

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Great eye catching photos – nice and big to read to a group. Made me want to “hear” the sounds by pressing a button or something! Great to see in the back the reference to your website of audio files. I see as ideal for use with pre-K through 1st grades as not a lot of info in book with the focus being sounds. I was glad to see “About the Noisy Bugs” section in back for educator/parent to expand discussion. I will be using it in an upcoming Insect program for a 4-H Cloverbud group in May, most definitely!

— Linda Hauser – U.S. Forest Service, Shawnee National Forest (March 2013)

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I absolutely love this book! John Himmelman captures the essence of the noisy bug clan—crickets, cicadas, click beetles, and more—with stunning artwork and a wonderful “sing along” theme that will engage children and parents alike. Chirp-chirp-chirp, reeee-reeee-reeee, sing like a bug with glee-glee-glee!

— Lang Elliott, author and nature sound recordist, The Music of Nature(www.musicofnature.org)

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As the weather gets warmer, we start to see various insects emerge. You start to hear them buzz by, and see them on leaves. A few days ago while at a local park, Patrick found a really neat yellow and black beetle. I held it in my hand and held it up close so Afton could see it. Her immediate response was to open her mouth and attempt to eat it! It was rather cute. John Himmelman, whose”Nature Upclose” series I recommend (such as A Salamander’s Life and A Slugs Life), has a new book out: Noisy Bug Sing-Along.

Here’s the description of the book: “There’s a lot going on out there, and this book is a wonderful bridge to a whole noisy, busy world of insects. Learn who is making what sound, and why. In this book the reader is treated to scientifically accurate, up-close depictions of some very cool bugs. It explains why the bugs make the sounds they do, and how they do it:”and it’s not with their voices!”

The colors are vibrant, and kids will have fun imitating the sounds of each insect. In the back of the book are some Noisy Bug activities, as well as more detailed information about each insect’s sound. A great book for a young entomologist!

— Exploring Portlands Natural Areas – Michael Barton (March 2013)

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One thing about summer—it’s NOISY! There are chirps and buzzes and squee’s and thrums…. and a lot if it is those NOISY Bugs! They sing all day; they sing all night. Some sing softly and others sing so loud you head off looking for earplugs.

“Field crickets sing from beneath leaves,” writes John Himmelman. “CHIRP, CHIRP, CHIRP”
Tree crickets sing like telephone rings and mole crickets sing from deep in the ground.

Beetles, moths, mosquitoes—everyone joins into one huge concert of sound—all illustrated with Himmelman’s bold and life-like drawings. At the back, Himmelman shows what the sound waves look like for all of those noisy bugs – and you can listen to them here. He explains what sound waves are, and how you can imitate the sounds of some of those bugs. And he includes a short bio-note for each bug in the book.

— Sallys Bookshelf Blogpost – Sue Heavenrich (August 2, 2013)

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— Sallys Bookshelf Blogpost – Sue Heavenrich (August 2, 2013)

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My little ones are now actively listening to the symphony of nature while we go on our camping trips. It is wonderful that they are so well-educated on the subject of nature’s music, easily identifying the sounds all around us … teaching the adults!

Engaging and inspiring, Noisy Bug Sing-Along is a fun illustrated book to read with and to children. I have always loved the sound of nature and this book was not only great for the little ones, but it taught me some things as well. It is nice to be able to identify the musicians and there instruments in the symphony of the natural world.

This is a great book for teachers and parents to introduce the music of the natural world! Noisy Bug Sing-Along makes the perfect pack-along to read while camping, during the warmer months of the year, when the trees are green and the insects are playing there instruments all around. The illustrations are colorful and anatomically correct. Highly recommended!!!

— An Angel’s Kiss (March 2013)

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What a beautifully illustrated book that draws children into the wonders and mysteries of insect noises. An engaging introduction to the fascinating world of insects.

— Mary Rob Clarke, Director, Entomological Foundation

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Noisy Bug Sing-Along is a delightful book that brought our children lots of giggles and fun imitating the insects that live around our home. Not only is it a fun way to learn about what is lurking outside in a way that helps quell bug fears, it has a lot of interesting facts about them that even I didn’t know! And the pictures in the book are just fantastic! We also had a lot of fun as a family playing the “bug games” that are suggested in the back. I never thought a book about bugs could be so much fun for me and my kids!

— Your World Natural blogspot – Cara Nitz (March 2013)

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Another amazing children’s book that my daughter adored, after reading this she formed a new obsession of wanting to go outside and listen for all of natures natural music. I loved that this was another very hands on engaging book, I have a feeling that during the summer this will be a new tag a long book for camping trips. I let my daughter bring this to her pre-k morning class and the other kids seemed to love it, what child doesn’t love bugs and music they go so hand in hand.

— Cybertronian Reviews – Stephanie Szostak (January 2013)