Minibeast booklist

Get your wellies on and prepare to explore the wonderful world of minibeasts that buzzes, slithers, hops and scuttles all around us! We have included non-fiction for keen young biologists, books with exciting stories to inspire curiosity and books with practical activities that are perfect for encouraging outdoor fun.

  • Follow the Trail: Minibeasts

    by DK 

    2022 2 to 4 years 

    • Board books
    • Interactive
    • Non-fiction

    This fun book offers lots of interaction, from the trails (which are great for fine motor skills and getting used to tracing, a precursor to learning to write) to the information about the natural world. 

  • Ready, Steady, Race! Bugs

    by Macmillan Children’s Books, illustrated by Teresa Bellōn 

    2026 1 to 4 years 

    • Board books
    • Interactive

    Today is the Big Bug Race, so get ready to race insects across the page by tilting and using sliding tracks in this fun and interactive board book.

  • Superworm

    by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler 

    2012 2 to 9 years 

    • Adventure
    • Funny
    • Picture books

    Superworm is a hero with a difference. Super-long and super-strong, he’s always on hand to help out the other creatures – until the evil Wizard Lizard captures him.

  • Ant Party

    by Ross Montgomery, illustrated by Sarah Warburton 

    2025 3 to 7 years 

    • Funny
    • Picture books

    Andy the ant wants to have a small birthday party. But before long, the whole colony turns up at his home! Can the ants work together when an uninvited guest crashes their fun? 

  • Ranger Hamza’s Eco Quest

    by Ranger Hamza, illustrated by Kate Kronreif 

    2024 4 to 7 years 

    • Historical
    • Non-fiction
    • Picture books

    Ranger Hamza takes readers on a wonderful quest to discover a variety of brilliant natural elements, from rainwater to lichen, dead wood, snails, acorns and seaweed. 

  • Frank Is a Butterfly

    by Alex Latimer 

    2025 4 to 7 years 

    • Picture books
    • Adventure

    An adorable book about looking beyond the physical and being grateful for what we have, Frank is a Butterfly is a lovely picture book that blends gentle humour, butterfly facts, and a lovable hero into a delightful read. 

  • A First Book of Bugs

    by Simon Mole, illustrated by Adam Ming 

    2025 4 to 9 years 

    • Funny
    • Non-fiction
    • Picture books
    • Poetry and rhyme

    A beautiful picture book that highlights the beauty and cooperative nature of insects and celebrates all of the brilliant jobs bugs do for us. 

  • Bugs! Bugs! Bugs!

    by Susan Martineau, illustrated by Vicky Barker 

    2025 5 to 9 years 

    • Non-fiction
    • Early Learning

    A bright, colourful and fact-filled exploration of the wonderful world of bugs. Perfect for fans of creepy-crawlies!

  • How Things Grow

    by Harriet Evans, illustrated by Benjamin Flouw 

    2026 4 to 7 years 

    • Board books
    • Interactive
    • Non-fiction

    What came first, the chicken or the egg? Find out once and for all in this fascinating book as you explore the life cycles of seven plants and animals through interactive flaps and wheel mechanisms. 

  • Slug Life

    by Moesha Kellaway 

    5 to 9 years 

    • Funny
    • Non-fiction
    • Picture books

    Join Stevie the World’s grumpiest slug as he learns about all the things that makes slugs special in this hilarious picture book. A mixture of narrative and non-fiction with excellent illustrations. 

  • The Great Pollination Investigation

    by Deborah Hocking 

    2025 5 to 9 years 

    • Interactive
    • Picture books

    What’s the link between flowers and the food we eat? Join the investigation by lifting flaps to learn more about flowers. Stunning and packed with facts. 

  • Seek and Find Bugs

    by Lydia Halliday, illustrated by Amanda Shufflebotham 

    2022 5 to 14 years 

    • Around the world
    • Interactive
    • Non-fiction

    Discover details about the biggest and smallest bugs, the brightest bugs, deadliest bugs and even the jumpiest bugs! Readers can find out things like which insects make the water their home, which bug is named after a famous artist, or which bug is heavier than a mouse. Readers can spotlight different parts of the page, to find and focus on specific areas of the picture and then read the corresponding fact on the opposite page.