A Crackle of Crickets: A Compilation of Insect Collective Nouns

Gr 3–5—A Filth of Starlings (2011), and A Shiver of Sharks (2012, both PatrickGeorge) are among the publisher's books focusing on collective nouns. This one is devoted to insects and includes many unfamiliar terms such as "a loveliness of ladybugs," and "a ghost of gnats"; however it mistakenly groups "a culture of bacteria," "a clew of worms," and "a venom of spiders" in its insect classification. Each collective noun is followed by a few short statements. The locust and the grasshopper are treated as though they were separate insects, which they are not. Some explanation should link the two entries. The digital artwork employs saturated colors and abstract silhouettes of the creatures. The image for "a plague of locusts" shows a black silhouette of the Grim Reaper holding a long stick; his sickle blade is a white silhouette of the locust. Ruth Heller's A Cache of Jewels (Grosset & Dunlap, 1987) is a beautiful introduction to collective nouns. Of course, adults who love language will also want to refer to James Lipton's The Exaltation of Larks (Grossman, 1968), which includes an extensive index of collective nouns.—Teresa Pfeifer, The Springfield Renaissance School, Springfield, MA