Lopsy suggested Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll. She likes the argumentative caterpillar.
Charlotte’s Webb, by Elwyn Brooks White. Points recommended this because of the very positive portrayal of Charlotte, a role model for all small insects and arachnidae.
Some Smug Slug, by Pamela Duncan Edwards and Henry Cole. Gibbs likes this, but it has a tragic ending.
The Cricket in Times Square, by George Selden. Bimbo admires Chester the Cricket for his great musical ability.
The Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka. Snowy suggested this, but warned us that it’s not a pleasant read. It’s all about the horrible prejudice against non-humans that unfortunately still exists even a century after this story was written.
The Once and Future King, by Terence Hanbury White. Madame Cholet says that the chapter about ants is the best of the Wart’s lessons from Merlin in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics. Being a gardener, Madame Cholet knows a lot about ants.
What the Ladybird Heard, by Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks. This is Points’s recommendation, and it does provide a good female insect role-model.
There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly is really a song, but it has been made into a number of books. Ruffy says it’s a warning tale of the exploitation of animals by humans, and of the terrible results that may ensue, though some versions avoid facing the inevitable outcome of eating a fly, a spider, a rat, a cat, a dog, a hog, and a horse. This picture is by Rashin.
