Bompa's Insect Expedition by David Suzuki (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Bompa's Insect Expedition by David Suzuki Kara Forde Suzuki, David Bompa's Insect Expedition; written by David Suzuki and Tanya Lloyd Kyi; illus. by Qin Leng. Greystone, 2023 [48p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781771648820 $18.95 Reviewed from digital galleys R 4-8 yrs Nakina has her backpack packed, Kaoru has his field journal in hand, and both twins are ready for a nature expedition with their grandpa. Bompa always takes them on fun explorations, from ponds to beaches, to find new wildlife and plant discoveries, but for today's insect adventure Bompa says they are staying at home. Nakina and Kaoru are initially disappointed, thinking they know all the creatures that live by their house, but Bompa encourages them to be open to surprises. Suzuki and Kyi's picture book collaboration is a solid foray into informational fiction for younger readers, as kids can follow along with the dialogue and join Bompa and the twins as they learn about the basic physical features and activities of many types of insects. To underscore the remarkable qualities of these insects, the kids imagine what it would be like to be them: to fly, have protective exoskeletons, or to eat or carry many times one's own body weight. Leng's animated watercolor illustrations lean into the humor of these imaginings, interspersing realistic nature scenes with depictions of the human family as dragonflies or alongside a person-sized caterpillar eating at a grand dinner table. While the information conveyed is relatively basic, the message about finding the extraordinary in the ordinary is a worthy one, especially for young explorers who might not have much access to nature spaces. End pages highlight the sketches in Kaoru's field journal (a labeled insect diagram) and contents of Nakina's backpack (including a magnifying glass and snacks) as well as a list of insect facts, the definition of entomologist, and a prompt for readers to revisit the illustrations to count the several categories of insects. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois