Poppy and the Mystery Beetle
Poppy discovers a strange beetle and follows the clues to find out what it is.
On a summer morning, Poppy found a strange insect on a log. She had never seen one like it. She took out a notebook and magnifying glass. ‘This is a mystery,’ she whispered.
Poppy drew the bug carefully. She counted its legs: six. She noticed its shiny shell and tiny feelers. ‘Come look,’ she called to Bear. They crouched in the grass, watching it walk.
They visited Ollie the owl, who knew everything about insects. ‘Ah,’ said Ollie, studying the drawing. ‘That’s a glow-worm! It has a tiny light that it uses to find friends.’
‘Amazing,’ breathed Poppy. They went back and watched the glow-worm for a long time. They were careful not to touch or hurt it. When it had gone, they wrote down everything they had learned.
At school the next day, Poppy showed the class the drawing and told them all about the glow-worm. ‘Bugs are brilliant,’ she said. And the whole class went out to look for more.
From then on, Poppy was known as the Bug Scientist. And whenever she found a new creature, she sat down quietly, took out the notebook, and began to wonder.
The little lesson
Careful watching and asking questions lead to discovery.
Let’s talk about it
- What would you do to learn about a bug?
- How did Poppy take care of the beetle?
Finish stories to collect Poppy as a sticker in your Sticker Book.
More Little Scientists stories
Max Makes a Rainbow
Max wonders where rainbows come from, and discovers how to make one at home.
Whoosh! Ella Makes a Volcano
Ella builds a volcano for the science fair, and the experiment goes bubbly wrong!
Moe’s Fizzing Volcano
Moe builds a volcano for the science fair, and the experiment goes bubbly wrong!
You might also like
Benji’s Boots with a Story
In the attic, Benji finds a pair of dusty old boots with a name inside.
Daisy’s Longest Walk to the Penalty Spot
The cup final comes down to penalties, and Daisy is the very last kicker.
Tessa and the Broken Kite
Tessa accidentally breaks Leo’s favourite kite and is too scared to say sorry.