Tiny Workers: Ants in Your Backyard(Backyard Bugs)

Describes the physical characteristics, life cycle, and behavior of ants. Includes anatomy diagram and activity.

About the Author :
Nancy Loewen writes fiction and nonfiction for children and young adults. Recent awards include: 2012 Minnesota Book Awards finalist (The LAST Day of Kindergarten); 2011 Bank Street's Best Children's Books of the Year (Share a Scare: Writing Your Own Scary Story); 2011 Book of Note, Tri-State Young Adult Review Committee (Stubborn as a Mule and Other Silly Similes); and 2010 Distinguished Achievement Award from the Association of Educational Publishers (Writer's Toolbox Series). She's also received awards from The American Library Association, the New York Public Library, the Independent Book Publishers Association, and the Society of School Librarians International. Nancy holds an MFA in creative writing from Hamline University, St. Paul. She lives in the Twin Cities with her husband and two teenage children.

Review :
Author Nancy Loewen and illustrator Brandon Reibeling have delivered a stunning collection of Backyard Bugs books for primary readers. Like all the books in this series, Tiny Workers: Ants in Your Backyard is beautifully written and full of kid-friendly information. Each book offers a festival of color merged with text that can be independently navigated by second and third grade readers or enjoyed as a read-aloud by younger students. These books brim with charmingly crafted sentences that beckon readers: Ants live in a-mazing little homes where the dirt is like the door to their house. Although each book in the collection stands admirably on its own, my second-graders were lucky enough to have all six volumes to review. We shared the books together, and then each child chose one book to study thoroughly and become our expert on that insect. While reading, we all noted the same engaging features. First, the pictures, shich are huge, scientifically accurate, and often drawn from a surprising point of view. These illustrations had children clamoring to gaze into compound eyes or between palpi. Second, additional and unconventional information is featured in magnifying glasses on each page and at the end of the book. These facts made every one of us (including me) say, Hey, I never knew that! The well-organized table of contents, index, and glossary provide the opportunity to teach the children how to use these text supports, and simple extension activities invite them to revisit ideas from the books. I've been studying insects with my students for years, but I have never seen a collection of books that I liked as much as this one. More importantly, these books are also endorsed by the most discriminating critics of all: the kids!-- "NSTA Recommends"