Heads and Tails Insects

[Gentle music]

John Canty:

Hi, I'm John Canty. This is my book, "Heads and Tails: Insects."

I live in a hive. I make honey. I can sting you. I am a bee.

I have a spotted red body. I have a domed shell that protects my wings. I'm called a lady, even if I am a male. I am a ladybug.

I have large back legs. I can hop great distances. I make music by rubbing my back leg against my wing. I am a grasshopper.

I visit you on warm nights. I buzz in your ear and keep you awake. I can bite you and suck your blood. I am a mosquito.

I am as agile as a cat. I'm a master of camouflage. I look like I am praying. I am a praying mantis.

I crawl in a wavelike motion. I have a soft body. I build a cocoon. I am a caterpillar.

I was once a caterpillar. Now, I have beautiful coloured wings. I flutter from flower to flower. I am a butterfly.

I have four wings. I can fly up and down and side to side. I look scary, but I'm harmless. I am a dragonfly.

I buzz around your face and food and annoy you. I have sticky feet and can walk upside down. If I get stuck in a web, a spider will eat me. I am a fly.

I come in many different colours. I am the most common insect in the world. I eat leaves, seeds, and fruit. I am a beetle.

I have a long, thin body. I look like a stick. I'm very good at hiding. I am a stick insect.

I live with millions of family and friends. We march together in long lines. I can carry many times my own weight. I am an ant. Look out, it's an anteater.

[End of transcript]