Fireflies and Lightning Bugs Books & More
When my bookworms first heard that there’s such a thing as a fireflies, they were bursting with wonder! Of course, coupled with their blackout curtains and bedtimes before sunset they had never laid eyes on them. And so, one special night I woke both boys up after they were asleep and whispered in their ears, “It’s a Firefly Night!” (see the first book below!) Talk about the magic of childhood! I will always remember that night, the joy in their faces as we savored the peaceful evening surrounded by twinkling lights.
Since that night, we have been immersed in firefly books, and even firefly songs! Below are our favorites.
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Poetry
It’s a Firefly Night by Dianne Ochiltree. A simple but warm offering for little ones. A little girl describes a special evening of catching fireflies and releasing them with her dad. A nice double page spread includes nine fascinating facts. This one inspired me to wake up my kiddos and whisper, “It’s a firefly night!”
Among a Thousand Fireflies by Helen Frost and Rick Lieder. Told from the perspective of a female firefly in search of just one particular flash among a sea of a thousand; the text is set beside amazing photography. Although this is a single poem, we took our time and savored the imagery, both the poetic language and nature photography. A note at the end explains the meaning of firefly flashes (each kind of firefly has its own pattern of flashes; a female will settle in one place and look for a male who flashes her pattern, and then reply, inviting him closer).
Fireflies at Midnight by Marilyn Singer. The firefly is only the topic of one of the poems contained in this lovely book, but I still include it because it’s excellent! Each poem spotlights a particular creature at a different time of day (noted at the top of each page). We’ve enjoyed Marilyn Singer’s nature poetry in A Stick is an Excellent Thing, featured in my roundup of First Favorite Poetry Books and have used them for Poetry Teatime.
Fiction
When Lightning Comes in a Jar by Patricia Polacco. (Picture book: K-adult) The master of the memoir, Patricia Polacco shares a sweet, sentimental tale of a family reunion during which Gramma promises to teach Trisha how to “catch lightning in a jar.” Unable to coax out of Gramma how that could be possible, Trisha is amazed to experience a night that is magical in her memory. This is a longer picture book, but my 5yo had no trouble attending to it.
Leo the Lightning Bug by Eric Drachman. (Picture book: preschool-mid elem) If you can, get this with the accompanying audio! The read along is excellent, as it includes sound effects to the thunderstorm which is pivotal to the plot. Speaking of the plot, such a winner! Leo is left out and teased because he is small, and he can’t even make a light yet! His mother encourages him through his frustration to keep trying. Reduced to tears and hiding during a storm, he finally gathers the confidence to push through his wall and produce a light. We love this one for the perseverance/grit/growth mindset theme! (I’m working on a roundup for that topic. Do you subscribe or follow along on Facebook for updates?? 😉 We also enjoy Drachman’s Ellison the Elephant with the accompanying audio which tells the story as I never could on my own– with a vocalist who “plays” the part of the elephant’s trumpet (the message is similarly uplifting too!).
Firefly Hollow by Alison McGhee. (chapter book, 291 pages, occasional– though beautiful– illustrations) PreK Bookworm and I have been plugging along at this lengthy chapter book, because it’s so captivating! It follows three woodland creatures (a firefly, vole, and cricket) who have big dreams that lead them on an adventure, defying the rules of their Nations, and bringing them face to face with a Giant (a boy). Full disclosure, we haven’t finished it yet! I’ll update when we do. 🙂
The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle. (picture book: baby-K) Eric Carle’s insect books are treasures, aren’t they? Not as famous as The Very Hungry Caterpillar, but just as lovely, this offering is perfect for the smallest of bookworms yet my bigger guys still love it.
Nonfiction
The Beetle Book by Steve Jenkins. Although only one page is dedicated to fireflies, this is a great introduction to the world of beetles, to which fireflies belong. Steve Jenkins is a nonfiction picture book expert, and this is a high quality offering among many. His illustrations are captivating (did I just say bug illustrations were captivating?!) and facts are paired in nice size chunks.
Songs
“Fireflies” by the Laurie Berkner Band
“Lightning Bug” by Slugs and Bugs. Incidentally, we LOVE this entire album, as well as their Slugs & Bugs Sing the Bible!
Bonus- Video
A facebook follower shared this amazing video! It gave me goosebumps. So beautiful! Firefly Experience: Lightning Bugs Light the Iowa Woods
Books mentioned in this post should be available at your local library, or at the affiliate links provided.
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