Kids love bugs, and this book takes readers outside both day and night to see and hear all the sights and sounds. The illustrations are fun and use the sounds of the insects to direct the readers eye to all the cool sounds bugs make. Accurate scientific information accompanies all of the fun of heading out to the backyard on a summer night to experience the bugs! 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. A perfect book for:parents and teachers needing homeschool materials for kindergarten (or any grade!)anyone looking for singalong books for kids and toddlers!anyone looking for children's books to help instill an appreciation of our planet!

Strikingly original watercolors depict each creature's world from its unique perspective. Simple text describes the creatures' movements and activities.

Strikingly original watercolors depict each creature's world from its unique perspective. Simple text describes the creatures' movements and activities.

At a time when night-singing insects have slipped beyond our notice indeed, are more likely to be heard as NatureSounds than in a backyard John Himmelman seeks to reconnect us to creatures whose songs form a part of our own natural history.

On warm summer evenings, night-singing insects produce a whirring, chirping soundscape a calming aural tapestry celebrated by poets and naturalists for millennia. But cricket radio is not broadcast for the easy-listening pleasure of humans. The nocturnal songs of insects are lures and warnings, full of risks and rewards for these tiny competitive performers. What moves crickets and katydids to sing, how they produce their distinctive sounds, how they hear the songs of others, and how they vary cadence, volume, and pitch to attract potential mates, warn off competitors, and evade predators is part of the engaging story "Cricket Radio" tells.

Himmelman s narrative weaves together his personal experiences as an amateur naturalist in search of crickets and katydids with the stories of scientists who study these insects professionally. He also offers instructions for bringing a few of the little singers into our homes and gardens. We can, Himmelman suggests, be reawakened to these night songs that have meant so much to the human psyche. The online insect calls that accompany this colorfully illustrated narrative provide a bridge of sound to our past and to our vital connection with other species.

Jat is a boy who wants more from life than collecting coal from the Fire Sea. Newton is a misfit giant, cast out of his homeland for his love of science and reading. Brought together by chance, the two become the best of friends. But when enemy giants threaten to ruin everything, it's up to Jat and Newton to defend Jat's village, leading to the journey of a lifetime. In the timeless tradition of The BFG and Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, John Himmelman blends adventure and humour to create an unforgettable story of friendship.