PPBF – Cicada Symphony

For Earth Day, I thought it would be fun to highlight a Perfect Picture Book about a creature that spends most of its life burrowing in the earth. Enjoy!

Title: Cicada Symphony

Written By: Sue Fleiss

Illustrated By: Gareth Lucas

Publisher/Date: Albert Whitman and Company/2023

Suitable for Ages: 4-8

Themes/Topics: cicadas, non-fiction, rhyming

Opening:

There’s a secret you should know:

bugs are lurking down below.

In the earth, nymphs lay in wait

for their turn to…activate!

Brief Synopsis:

The true story of cicadas, which periodically emerge from the earth to breed.

Links to Resources:

• Learn more about Cicadas;
• If you live in an area where cicadas will emerge soon, download the Cicada Safari app to help scientists track their emergence, or go to the website to learn more about these fascinating insects;
• Check out these Cicada Activities.

Why I Like this Book:

With engaging rhyme and colorfully-detailed illustrations, Cicada Symphony is a fun-to-read non-fiction exploration of a little-known insect that spends the vast majority of its life underground: the Cicada. For those of you who don’t live in the middle or eastern areas of North America, you may never have encountered one. Those who have, though, may never forget it – the noise of the male cicadas trying to attract mates, like the brass section of an orchestra, fills the air. Discarded exoskeletons crunch underfoot. And then there’s the cicadas swarming nearby, maybe a bit too nearby.

While Fleiss addresses the reader directly, she keeps the focus on cicadas. And while one illustration shows small woodland creatures, Lucas fills the pages with cicadas. For younger readers, the rhyming text is easy to follow. For older children, and those more interested in these fascinating insects, extra facts appear on each spread. And for those who want to learn even more, back matter includes a glossary, author’s note, list of children’s reference books, and a detailed illustration with labeled body parts.

A Note about Craft:

In an Author’s Note, Fleiss shares that she was inspired to write Cicada Symphony after experiencing the emergence of cicadas near her home in 2021. As anyone who has experienced a large emergence knows, the males’ clicking sounds are extremely loud, like the brass section of a symphony.

This Perfect Picture Book entry is being added to Susanna Hill’s Perfect Picture Book list. Check out the other great picture books featured there!