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Pocket Observology: A Field Guide by Giselle Clarkson

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 2 Oct 2026

Publisher: Gecko Press
ISBN: 9798348042424

See also:
Omnibird [An ACHUKA Book of the Year 2025]
The Observologist [ACHUKA Book of the Day 26 Sep 2023]

A little larger than pocket-sized (a touch bigger than a fiction paperback) but considerably smaller than the original Observologist title (see above), this is fantastically user-friendly. With a weather-proof jacket, it contains both new content and material adapted from previous titles. 

And ACHUKA simply LOVES it. Working as both illustrator and writer, Clarkson has complete control of her material and an instinctive feel for presentation.

This pocket guide is a useful tool and fun reminder of how to look at the world around you with care and close observation every day.

Use this guide to identify whether you’ve found a bee or wasp, centipede or millipede, moth or butterfly. Compare shapes of seeds, leaves, and feathers to deduce their origin. Notice snail trails, and make discoveries by turning over a leaf. Learn how to observe—listen, look, record, and collect. With its how-to guides, comic illustrations, weatherproof cover, and built-in, useful tools—such as a ruler, key, and quick access sections—this handy guide will enliven every expedition.

After poring over Giselle Clarkson’s rich, oversized books indoors, every observologist and omnibirder can slip this guide in their pocket and set out on small scientific outings every day.

You can follow Giselle Clarkson on

Don’t Call Me an Insect! by Charlotte Guillain ill. Sally Agar

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ACHUKA Book ion the Day 20 Apr 2026

Publisher: Quarto Publishing PLC
ISBN: 9781836008439

This is an excellent book for any young child curious about creepy-crawlies. The author creates an inviting rhyming hook to the introduction of each creature that is NOT an insect and the illustrator has managed to mix appealing visuals with anatomical accuracy.

Buy it for all budding zoologists.

Join young explorers Charlie and Bumble on a bug hunt, But all the creatures they find insist that they are NOT insects!  
 
You’ll be introduced to spiders, centipedes, woodlice and more until FINALLY they find some insects. They also find a surprising creature that doesn’t look like an insect – but is it . . .? 
 
Part of the ‘Don’t Call Me a . . .’ picture book series which turns science on its head with exciting adventure stories that bust common myths, fact-checked by experts. Each book follows a curious child and their toy as they journey through space, the ocean, the forest and even prehistoric times – only to discover that things aren’t always what they seem! 
 
Each book wraps up with a fun fact file, making it a great way for kids to explore science, nature and the animal kingdom – all in an engaging, giftable format.  
 
With vibrant illustrations and plenty of fascinating facts, this series is a perfect introduction to early STEM concepts – a must-have for curious young minds!  
 
Also available in the series: Don’t Call Me a Dinosaur!, Don’t Call Me a Star!, Don’t Call Me a Fish!

You can follow Sally Agar on

The Incredible 3D Bug Hunt by Peggy Nille

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 2 May 2025

Waterstones
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Join Little Ladybird and friends as they head off on a journey through an exciting world populated by beetles, spiders, butterflies and many more colourful little creatures. Clever 3D glasses will offer young readers a joyful and dynamic hunt among the jungle and its inhabitants!

Little Ladybird is bored, so she decides to go and see the world and make new friends. She meets some colourful beetles along the way and is rescued from a big bird by some mantises in a tropical forest. There’s no stopping Little Ladybird and her new friends as they meet spiders, butterflies, frogs and other little creatures, each more beautiful and fascinating than the last. Little Ladybird soon realises that the world is full of wonders: ‘Nature really is an artist!’

Peggy Nille is a French artist/illustrator. You can follow her on

 

 
 
 
 
 
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Une publication partagée par Autrice dessinatrice art (@peggynille)

Artwork from another of her books, The Island With Birds (L’Ile Aux Oiseaux)

BOING! A Bouncy Book of Bugs by James Carter ill. Neal Layton

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 28 Jan 2025

Waterstones
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This splendid picture-book-sized poetry collection gets off to a flying start with a clever counting poem, Just Like Bugs. The buggy theme continues throughout this colourful celebration of mini-beasts from grasshoppers, ladybirds, and dung beetles to moths, flies, wasps and even bedbugs. 

With 24 poems, including shape poems, riddles, rhyming poems and free verse, plus amazing and informative facts about each bug or minibeast on every page, the world of insects is brought buzzing to life.

Heartily recommended for home and class libraries alike.

You can follow James Carter on

As you can the illustrator also:

Bothered by Bugs by Emily Gravett

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 10 Oct 2024

Waterstones
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“The illustrations are fabulous, full of detail and humour, and children will have fun spotting characters from ‘Tidy’ and ‘Too Much Stuff’ who make an appearance. But the joy doesn’t stop there! Lift the dust jacket of ‘Bothered by Bugs’ and the book which Pete is reading, ‘How to Cook Fruit: A Culinary Badger’s Guide to Preparing Fruit’, is revealed, complete with tea stains and badger paw prints. There are recipes to try on the end papers, including a very tasty looking Summer Pudding which we will by trying! The inside cover of the dust jacket shows the bugs which the woodland creatures capture, offering an instant guide to insects, allowing children to become insect spotters and come to appreciate the roles which they play.” ThroughTheBookshelf 

See also:
Too Much Stuff [ACHUKA Book of the Day 27 Nov 2020]

Pete the Badger, star of the previous Tidy and Too Much Stuff!, learns valuable lessons about the importance of all creatures, big and small, in maintaining the harmony of nature.

Pete is choosing a delicious recipe from his new fruit cookbook when his peace is interrupted by a  fly. The fly becomes a swarm and soon all the animals are being bothered by bugs and insects of all kinds . . . before helping Pete to rid the forest of every single one.

Disaster! Now nobody’s around to clean up the poo, and come autumn, there’s not a berry or a cherry to be found. But the lesson is learned, the bugs are released, and order is restored to the forest once again.

You can follow Emily on

 

 
 
 
 
 
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There Are No Ants in This Book by Rosemary Mosco ill. Anna Pirolli

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 9 Aug 2024

Waterstones
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“This whimsical work will draw attention to some of the most diverse and successful creatures on the planet and perhaps leave younger readers more inclined to study these ubiquitous insects than step on them. Make room on the picnic blanket for this convivial gathering.” KIRKUS

Nothing can ruin a picnic faster than a bunch of ants. It’s a good thing there are no ants in this book… well, maybe there’s only one. Or two… Or ten?? Maybe it’s not so bad. Ants are kind of cool, after all. Especially the Acrobat Ant that waves its back end around to scare off enemies. Or the Slender Leaf Ant that can glide through the air. Or the Dinosaur Ant, which is the biggest ant in the world! Okay, so a picnic with ants is actually lots of fun!

But what if an anteater also wants to join the picnic?

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STEMville: The Bee Connection by Ben Newman

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 12 Feb 2024

Waterstones
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Inventive illustrations paired with narrative and non-fiction elements introduce young readers to the world of bees in a well-presented title from Flying Eye.

Mason B. Chandler is a detective and solitary bee on a mission, and she needs your help to solve a mystery in Bug Borough.

As Mason follows clues through Bug Borough, you’ll discover everything there is to know about bees! Learn all about the different types of bees, their homes, how they communicate and what you can do to help look after them.

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Bompa’s Insect Expedition by David Suzuki & Tanya Lloyd Kyi ill. Qin Leng

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 28 Sep 2023

Waterstones
Amazon
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ACHUKA _loves_ Qin Leng’s work. See also:
A Day For Sandcastles [Book of the Day 3 Jun 2022]
New Year [Book of the Day 17 Dec 2021]
Over The Shop [Book of the Year 2021]

“Along with lavishing her lush, grassy settings with wildflowers and exactly drawn fauna from beetles to birds, Leng indulges the fancies of the three Asian-presenting observers by endowing each with dragonfly wings in one scene, giving them a sobering glimpse of a meadow bereft of flowers and pollinators, and shrinking them down for face-to-face encounters.” KIRKUS

It’s time for the twins to go on a nature expedition with Bompa. What marvelous place will they explore this time? Tidepools at the sea? The pond full of frogs’ eggs? Maybe deep in the forest? But to their disappointment, they are just exploring outside the door. Yet, as they begin to search for insects, they find world-champion flyers, eaters, and weightlifters. And more tiny surprises at every turn!

With their Bompa at their side, they find a way to recognize the amazing feats and important role of all insects. . . even the annoying ones! 

Published in Partnership with the David Suzuki Institute, an evidence-based, non-profit organisation that stimulates debate and action in Canada on critical issues of nature and social justice, with emphasis on the climate and biodiversity crises and their solutions. 

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Who Ate all the Bugs? by Matty Long

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Waterstones
Amazon
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The information in this large, square-format  paperback is mainly communicated via speech bubbles which makes it super-accessible to a young target audience.

Snail is on a mission. Bugs are being eaten all around her and she’s determined to hunt down the culprit. But is it a lost cause? After all, as Glowworm explains, ‘You can’t fight the food chain’. Acclaimed picture book creator, Matty Long, brings his hallmark talents of deadpan comedy, witty commentary, and hilarious illustrations to elucidate the real life realities of invertebrate existence! In this fascinating and slightly disgusting series, readers can feast on a diet of facts about the animals, plants and ecosystems found in the natural world.

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The Book of Tiny Creatures by Nathalie Tordjman ill. Julien Norwood & Emmanuelle Tchoukriel

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In the air, on the ground, and in the water, incredible tiny creatures are all around us! They may be small, but they live remarkable lives. This wonderfully illustrated book introduces young readers to spiders, butterflies, worms, snails, and even the world’s heaviest insect, the Little Barrier Island giant weta. Filled with fun facts, children also learn through interactive quizzes, detailed seek-and-find scenes, and hands-on activities, like how to make a snail terrarium.

Nathalie Tordjman is a Paris-based journalist specializing in nature and the environment. She is the author of more than forty books and writes for numerous publications.
Julien Norwood is a French author and illustrator educated at the Museum of Natural History in Paris.
Emmanuelle Tchoukriel is a French illustrator who trained in medical and scientific illustration at the Estienne School in Paris.

Follow Emmanuelle Tchoukriel on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manutchouk/