Personification

Each of the poems is about a species of insects, or a variety species of insects. The poet has given these insects human characteristics and emotions to aid the reader in understanding and empathizing with these very foreign creatures. This is an important theme found in each poem, because the main purpose of each poem is to make the behaviors and actions of the insect applicable to human life and understanding.

Some insects, such as the grasshoppers, mayflies, and whirligig beetles live very frenzied lives and seem to be constantly in a chaotic state, both physically and emotionally. In contrast, the caterpillar, house crickets, queen honeybee, water striders, and book lice are much more still, at peace, and/or light-hearted. The hard workers of this book are the worker honeybees, the digger wasp, and the water boatmen.

While all the poems are told from very human perspectives, several...