Bugs (A Day in the Life)

Ever wondered what bees, ants and dragonflies get up to all day? Well, this is a book which explores just that. We are taken through a day with vignettes describing scenes playing out across the globe; from 7 am when we find a dragonfly basking in the sun in North America to 10pm where a comet moth is launching itself into the night in Madagascar. We are encouraged to zoom in to witness the everyday drama of the insect world including a moth emerging from a cocoon and a standoff between two praying mantises.

Each scene is described on a double page spread which also include additional information such as the fact that all the bees in a colony are sisters and their mother is the queen.

The narrative is interspersed with explorations of relevant themes including metamorphosis, camouflage and migration. A sense of wonder is evoked as we are introduced to the sheer variety of bugs living not only in the countryside but in our cities too and the amazing ways different bugs use their wings.

This is a book written by a self-confessed lover of insects; an entomologist who has made a career of her passion. It is full of information presented in an engaging and interesting way.

The layout and design are attractive and clear with full colour artwork. There is a useful glossary which lists most of the specific terminology used and an index which is particularly useful in terms of the creatures included in the book and their geographical locations. Bold text for one or two presumably key words is used inconsistently – these are mainly for words listed in the glossary but not exclusively – why is ‘sisters’ emboldened in the text and not scientific terms such as ‘antennae’ for example?

This title is one of a new series of ‘A Day in the Life’ books by wildlife experts from new imprint Neon Squid Books.