Two intrepid librarians

Two intrepid librarians review the best nonfiction books for children

Friday, July 6, 2012

Busy Builders by Roxie Munro

Busy Builders

Roxie Munro

Marshall Cavendish Children. 2012

ISBN: 978761461050

Grades Preschool to 3

This reviewer checked a copy of the book from the local public library.


“There are about 1,000,000,000 (1 billion!) insects for every human being”, says Roxie Munro in Busy Builders. That’s a lot of insects running, crawling, and flying around Earth. Yet, out of all those insects very few are actually builders. Using large, full-page illustrations rendered in India ink and colored ink, Munro gives us an inside look at the unique structures of seven insects and 1 spider.


The format is set up like a guessing game. “This is a Paper Hornet. Where does it live?” Young preschoolers who love to learn lots of facts about bugs will be waiting anxiously for the page to turn. Using clear language that is very accessible, we see and learn where they build and how the colony or individual insect or spider works together to survive. The seven insects listed are: Honeybee, Red Harvester Ant, Organ-Pipe Mud Dauber, Australian Weaver Ant, Leaf-Cutter Bee, Pine Processionary Caterpillar, African Termite, Paper Hornet, and the arachnid, a Garden Orb Spider.


Munro includes fun facts, a glossary of bug words, a bibliography of books and web sites to learn more about insects and spiders. A first-rate book Perfect for hot summer days. Pair this with Steve Jenkin's The Beetle Book.

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