Small Wonders: Jean-Henri Fabre and His World of Insects

Received this book and my daughter discovered it right before bedtime. I told her I’d only be reading a few pages, as it was too long and already past the kids’ normal bedtime, but before I knew it, I was at the end, because I couldn’t stop reading it! Some children’s books seem eternally long and uninteresting, but this had us fully engaged and interested from the first page to the last! We’ll definitely be pulling this book out whenever we study insects in our homeschool!

Let’s start by saying that I am French and grew up in France so the whole story brought me back home. On another hand, my five year old is absolutely terrified of bugs but the story opened her mind and taught to see beauty in something she used to run from. The other day she even noticed a beetle outside and took the time to look at it and tell me how pretty it looked.For the parent this book can enrich our lives. This biography of Jean-Henri Fabre was a good reminder for me the adult, to just stop and appreciate the world around me.

A professor just recommended I study Jean Henri Fabre. We were discussing Gould’s treatment of C. Darwin and T. Huxley, scientists who lost children. Fabre also suffered this way but kept the hope. With the libraries closed due to Covid-19 risk, I am happy to find this Kindle version! Thank you, I like to start with picture books! There is a charm to the illustrations and the distillation of a great story to a few sentences.

Read on Kindle, I can only imagine how much better it would have been in person! I think this will be a book I purchase for my kiddos to have and to read always. The book was full of colorful pictures, and great information to help the readers understand this man behind the bugs.

I expected a children's book and instead found a charming and wonderful bit of history worthy of any scholar of any age! I am so glad to have found it. I grew up on a farm and often marveled at the way insects went about their daily lives, this man's devotion to the study of their existence is truly inspirational. I really appreciate the author's fine telling of his story in a way that is neither tedious or time consuming.

The kids had fun reading this one. Wonderful illustrations. Well worth the read. We read on kindle, but I will now be searching for the print version to add to our library.

I loved this book. So many Kindle books for children are poorly written and badly illustrated and formatted. This one not only has excellent writing, understandable and interesting; but it also has marvellous illustrations, perfectly laid out. The story was a treat for the eyes and the imagination. I could almost hear the bees buzz, smell the flowers, and feel the heat of the French sunshine. Perhaps it will spark many budding scientists in the now generation.

This book was delightful. The story of a devoted naturalist and entomologist who works most of his life without deserved credit was told in a very approachable way. The illustrations are amazing; each page has so many little treasures. The timeline and brief autobiography at the back of the book are informative.

Excellent book! We love this one. It’s very good for any young child who loves the outdoors and insects

This book has an interesting story to tell, and has the most beautiful illustrations. Highly recommended for all children who love insects!

Inspirational, informative and intriguing for adults and children alike. Highly recommended from a home educating mum of two. Thanks to the author for a great book well worth reading.

Beautiful story , we should all have some sort of a garden , in a pot even, to see life growing under our own eyes. Nature is magic :)

Charming