Invertebrates are animals that do not have a spine or backbone.  They range from spiders to worms to octopuses.

Invertebrates

Author:  Melissa Ferguson

Nonfiction

Age:  4-8

Smithsonian Little Explorer series

A look at the wide variety of invertebrates that are found at the National Zoo. Good photography and fun facts are given for each creature.  There is an app which can be downloaded and used to scan pages for more information.  Glossary and critical thinking questions are provided.

A Spider’s Life

Author:  Ellen Lawrence

Nonfiction

Age: 4-8

This book presents the information as a child writing in a diary about observations made watching a jumping spider over the course of a year.  There is an experiment to see if your child can jump as far as a jumping spider.  The glossary, unlike most books, has a picture of the items being defined.

Worms

Author:  Martha London

Nonfiction

Age: 5-8

Looks at earthworms, their bodies and how they improve the soil.  QR codes are provided for more information. Some questions are provided to encourage more thinking and exploring.

This is a Book to Read with a Worm

Author:  Jodi Wheeler-Toppen  Illustrator:  Margaret McCartney

Nonfiction

Age: 5- 8

First your child will dig up a worm.  Keeping the worm comfortable on a wet paper towel, the book looks at worms and provides experiments to do with the worm. (What does a worm do when a light is shined on it?) At the end of the book, the worm is returned to the ground.  Your child will learn several interesting things about worms as well as being exposed to science.

What’s so scary about spiders?

Author:  Joanne Mattern

Nonfiction

What’s so scary about series

Age: 6-8

Provides spider basics (body, sight, life cycle and what they eat).  Notes that many people are afraid of spiders but spiders do many good things such as keeping pests under control. Spiders are likely to hide from big creatures like humans and for the most part their bites are not dangerous.  Dangerous spiders are identified.

The Supersmart Octopus

Author:  Mari Schuh

Nonfiction

Age: 6-9

Many invertebrates live in the ocean.  This is a fun look at the octopus, how it lives and avoids predators.  They are supersmart as they have been known to open jars and go through mazes.  Fun facts are provided – read the story of the octopus who escaped from the zoo!

Explore

Many invertebrates such as spiders and worms can be found around (or even in) our houses and yards. Worms may be easy to find after a rainstorm as they come up to the surface. While not all spiders are web weavers, webs to help point out where some may be located. More exotic forms can be found in zoos or aquariums.