Cricket in the Thicket

Murray, Carol. Cricket in the Thicket. Illustrated by Melissa Sweet. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2017.

Cricket in the Thicket is one of the books I added to our library this  year for Poetry Month. Carol Murray has included over 20 poems about bugs in this picture book illustrated by Melissa Sweet. Each poem is followed by a fact about the same bug. The book closes with three pages of notes about the bugs represented in the book. Poem titles include: “Let’s Hear it for the Dung Beetle,” “Termite Taste,” and “Daddy, What Long Legs You Have!” Melissa Sweet used watercolor and mixed media to create her illustrations. They complement and go beyond the text to give readers many things to look at besides the text.

Cricket in the Thicket could be used as part of a poetry unit. It could also be used as part of an insect unit. The facts included make this picture book a useful non fiction resource. Teachers could use this as a spring board to students writing their own poetry about insects.

Cricket in the Thicket: Poems about Bugs is available from Amazon if you’d like to add it to your library. Thank you for using my affiliate link which helps support this children’s literature blog.