Author Ann M. Martin sprinkles books she's writing with some of her own favorite reads. Characters from her "Baby-Sitters Club" series loved "Misty of Chincoteague" by Marguerite Henry, "From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" by E. L. Konigsburg and Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird," probably Martin's all-time favorite.

There are easier ways to find book recommendations for young readers, though. Atlanta-Fulton County Public Library system's summer reading program, "Catch the Reading Bug," includes a list of bug-themed books for different age groups. Readings lists for teens also are available at local branches. Events for the reading program kick off at local libraries on June 2. For more information, visit www.afplweb.com.

Here are a few recommendations from the library's summer reading program:

For pre-school-age readers:

"The Honeybee and the Robber" by Eric Carle

"The Very Quiet Cricket" by Eric Carle

"Diary of a Spider" by Doreen Cronin

"Clara Caterpillar" by Pamela Duncan Edwards

"Waiting for Wings" by Lois Elhert

"Manuelo, the Playing Mantis" by Don Freeman

"Miss Spider's Tea Party" by David Kirk

"Cucumber Soup" by Vickie Leigh Krudwig

"Beetle McGrady Eats Bugs!" by Megan McDonald

"Percival the Beautiful Butterfly" by Jill Turner

"But Will It Bite Me?" by Edith Bailes and Louis J. Lipovsky

"Hungry Plants" by Mary Batten

"Insectos Tropicales" by Caroline Godoy Cabrera

"Martina, The Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale" by Carmen Agra Deedy

"The Bug Scientist" by Donna M. Jackson

"Chirping Insects" by Sylvia A. Johnson

"Dragonflies" by Mary McLaughlin

"Creepy, Crawly Baby Bugs" by Sandra Markle

"Have You Seen Bugs?" by Joanne Oppenheim

"Backyard Insects" by Millicent E. Selsam

"Carnivorous Plants" by Elaine Pascoe

"Backyard Pets: Activities for exploring Wildlife close to Home" by Carol Amato

"Butterfly House" by Eve Bunting

"Oddhopper Opera: A Bug's Garden of Verses" by Kurt Cyrus

"Insects Are My Life" by Megan McDonald

"The Tarantula Scientist" by Sy Montgomery

"It's Disgusting and We Ate It!" by James Solheim