100 Bugs! A Counting Book

In this cheerful outing, two sibling "explorers" wake up with the sun to count bugs over the course of a day on their busy farm. As the brother and sister traipse through a meadow and barnyard with a magnifying glass and a butterfly net, Narita introduces insect varieties in upbeat rhymes: "Walkingsticks, walkingsticks,/ hiding all about./ 1 by the old hose,/ 9 by the gold rose./ How many bugs hiding about?/ 10!" The formula is repetitive, but the buzzy commotion of Kaufman's collage-art spreads will keep readers invested. The end of the book tots up the sets of bugs encountered--"10 from before, plus 10 more. 20 bugs hanging out"--opposite illustrations of all 100 of the bugs appearing in countable rows. A final section offers details about the insect and plant species featured throughout. Ages 5-7. (June)