Tilly and the Mystery Beetle
Tilly discovers a strange beetle and follows the clues to find out what it is.
On a summer morning, Tilly 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.
Tilly drew the bug carefully. She counted its legs: six. She noticed its shiny shell and tiny feelers. ‘Come look,’ she called to Ruby. They crouched in the grass, watching it walk.
They visited Olive the owl, who knew everything about insects. ‘Ah,’ said Olive, studying the drawing. ‘That’s a ladybird! It has bright spots that warn birds not to eat it.’
‘Amazing,’ breathed Tilly. They went back and watched the ladybird 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, Tilly showed the class the drawing and told them all about the ladybird. ‘Bugs are brilliant,’ she said. And the whole class went out to look for more.
From then on, Tilly 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 Tilly take care of the beetle?
Finish stories to collect Tilly as a sticker in your Sticker Book.
More Little Scientists stories
Poppy and the Mystery Beetle
Poppy discovers a strange beetle and follows the clues to find out what it is.
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!
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