l to r: Anjali Joshi and Kathleen Ng.

They skitter and scare, bite and sting, but insects also inspire scientists to develop awesome technologies that can help save people and the planet. The nonfiction book Built Like a Bug: How Insects Inspire Everyday Inventions takes young readers on a fascinating journey of discovery, from explaining how a cockroach’s taste receptors may one day help people with diabetes reduce sugar consumption, to considering how emulating the holes in butterfly wings may create more efficient solar panels.

At 128 pages, Built Like a Bug is packed with goodies, like a spider’s web on a good day. Author Anjali Joshi, a science teacher and curriculum developer, does an excellent job keeping the writing light, with just the right amount of detail, humour, definitions, and questions to satisfy inquiring minds.

Each chapter includes a labelled diagram of one bug’s parts, introductory information about said bug, and a guide to what it does best – a dragonfly’s guide to acrobatic flight; a dung beetle’s guide to turning trash into treasure. Each chapter also consists of the showcased bug’s fascinating features, or perhaps feats, that have caught the eye of scientists, and how those scientists are attempting to apply them to the human world. Insects with similarly interesting characteristics are also highlighted.

Illustration: Kathleen Ng.

The amount of text could have been overwhelming, but designer Rachel Nam keeps the layout punchy and colourful by breaking up the text into inviting blocks. Then there are Kathleen Ng’s lovely full-spread images and adorable spot art; not only do these well-thought-out illustrations support the words on the page, but they tell a story of their own with wit and imagination. For instance, a spider cooks its web in a pizza oven to explain how its silk can withstand extreme temperatures, and a diabolical ironclad beetle lifts weights and a taxicab to demonstrate how strong it is.

Speaking of demonstrations, Built Like a Bug includes six pages of hands-on, insect-engineering activities that readers can do at home. Some of these content-connected exercises include how to block out damaging UV light, test string strength, and create a backyard compost. A glossary, sources, and an index round out the backmatter. 

Built Like a Bug will entice STEM-loving students because of the topic and lure other readers because of its eye-catching illustrations and design, making this nonfiction book a worthy addition to classrooms and school libraries.