With writer Lloyd Kyi, environmentalist and scientist Suzuki tells a story based on his experiences with his grandchildren, focusing on twins Nakina and Kaoru, who explore the natural world outside their front door with the help of grandfather Bompa. In her signature illustration style, Leng portrays the silver-haired scientist realistically as he arrives at the siblings' home and invites them to search for insects outside. With a packed knapsack and field notebook, they're ready for a more ambitious trip ("Bompa, I've drawn pictures of every single thing around here," Kaoru says). But with Bompa's prodigious knowledge on offer, their findings--a bumblebee, a dragonfly, ants, and mosquitoes--absorb and instruct, as playful spreads visualize the Asian-cued trio preparing to eat 200 times their weight, like the monarch caterpillar they spot. Spreads full of beauty and information, familial tenderness, and Bompa's enthusiasm lift this story above ordinary nature explorations with unexpected complexity and substance. Ages 4--8. (Sept.)

In this picture book created in partnership with the David Suzuki Institute (a Canadian environmentalist organization), twins Nakina and Kaoru know to expect adventure when their grandfather, Bompa, comes to visit, but they never know where he'll take them. Equipped with a field journal and a well-stocked backpack, the children are surprised, and maybe a little disappointed, when Bompa announces that they're staying close to home to search for insects. What could there be to learn about bugs? Bompa proves to be a wealth of information as Kaoru and Nakina find their questions along the way. They imagine themselves as dragonflies with big eyes and lightweight exoskeletons and as caterpillars eating two-hundred times their weight in food. Their curiosity ranges from the simple ("are insects animals?") to the existential ("what if we [humans] disappeared?"), and Bompa's answers illuminate the ways that insects of every kind (yes, even mosquitoes) have skills and roles to play in an ecosystem. The commendable detail and specificity in each watercolor illustration invite readers' own explorations down each divergent path and among every tall blade of grass. Back matter provides more information about specific insects, ways to help insects in a child's community, and ideas for backyard expeditions. Grace McKinney BeermannNovember/December 2023 p.71 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

The veteran science popularizer takes his two young grandchildren deep into the natural world--right outside their door. Twins Nakina and Kaoru are initially disappointed that grizzled (and instantly recognizable as the author) Bompa isn't taking them to a less familiar locale. "You might be surprised," he responds. Indeed, just bending down for a closer look at passing insect life touches off a fascinating series of exchanges and revelations that begins with the basics--"Bompa, are insects animals?"--and moves on to freewheeling discussions of insect behavior and body parts, of how much caterpillars can eat and ants can carry, and then to larger questions: What would happen if mosquitoes disappeared? If we did? Along with lavishing her lush, grassy settings with wildflowers and exactly drawn fauna from beetles to birds, Leng indulges the fancies of the three Asian-presenting observers by endowing each with dragonfly wings in one scene, giving them a sobering glimpse of a meadow bereft of flowers and pollinators, and shrinking them down for face-to-face encounters. "After all, insects are competitive eaters, champion weight lifters, and expert fliers. They're the world's most interesting picnic guests." The backmatter features a supply list for budding naturalists and a list of activity suggestions for would-be "insect heroes." A terrific invitation to take closer looks and think longer thoughts. (Informational picture book. 6-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.