Update (2/28/2024): looks like there’s a 2024 version of Cecily Cicada: Cecily Cicada: Special Double Brood Edition.
There’s a new version of the book Cecily Cicada by Kita Helmetag Murdock & Patsy Helmetag for 2021. Some of you might remember the original version with the purple cover. Look for the mini-interview at the end of the article.
A delightful book, written by a mother/ daughter before the 17-year cicada emergence of 2004. They wrote it to ease the insect anxiety of their 3-year-old granddaughter/daughter when they learned the cicadas were coming. It tells the miraculous life of a special 17-year cicada named Cecily in an endearing way. Beautifully illustrated and fun. Patsy Helmetag has re-illustrated the original edition for a bright new look for the cicada emergence of 2021.
Here is a Q & A with the authors of the book by Kita Helmetag Murdock & Patsy Helmetag:
Q: What inspired you to write a book about a cicada?
Kita: My mom and I originally wrote Cecily Cicada in 2004, when the Brood X cicadas were about to emerge in Washington, D.C. My then two-year-old daughter was terrified of all bugs, and I was terrified of how she would react when her world was suddenly full of them! We were driving to visit my sister in North Carolina that spring when we had the idea to write a book to ease her fears. Without anything to write on (and without smartphones – times have changed!), we started by writing the first lines in rhyme on the back of a cereal box. By the time we returned home from the trip, we knew we had a book that we wanted to share with all the kids who would be experiencing the cicadas that spring. My mom made the illustrations, and we put the book out into the world. We updated the book for the 2021 Brood X emergence.
Q: Has anyone approached you to make your book into an animated cartoon?
Kita: No, but we wish someone would! It would make a great animated short.
Q: What changes have you made for the 2021 edition of your book?
Patsy: I had so much time during covid that I decided to update all of the illustrations. The new version is brighter and more detailed. We also changed the male singing cicadas to a boy band, from a barbershop quartet, to make them more youthful.
Q: Have you written any other books?
Patsy: I have also written The TransAm Grannies Bicycle Across America and Slothy and Nomi. This past year, during quarantine, I illustrated and co-wrote Squeakestered with my 12-year-old granddaughter.
Kita: I have also written two middle-grade fiction books, Future Flash and Francie’s Fortune.
Category: Books
Cicada Bug Coloring & Activity Book
It appears that this Cicada Bug Coloring & Activity Book is the second most popular cicada book on Amazon. This took me by surprise. I have not read it, so I cannot vouch for its quality.
Here’s the top 5 that I see:
Cicada Coloring Book using Vintage Cicada Illustrations
Charles Lester Marlatt is the most well-known Magicicada researcher of all time. He spent the late 19th and early 20th-century researching periodical cicadas and establishing the location of their broods. Marlatt is responsible for the concept of broods and the name Magicicada (he thought the cicadas were Magical).
The illustrations contained in his publications make excellent decorations that you can color and make crafts with.
Download a free PDF of Magicicada illustrations that you can print out and color and festoon around your house or classroom.
Sources:
More cicada activities:
The Cicadas of North America Book
There is a new cicada book emerging in August or September of 2024 called The Cicadas of North America Book by the author and illustrator Chris Alice Kratzer.
You can order it online.
Cecily Cicada, a cicada book for kids
Update (2/28/2024): looks like there’s a 2024 version of Cecily Cicada: Cecily Cicada: Special Double Brood Edition.
There’s a new version of the book Cecily Cicada by Kita Helmetag Murdock & Patsy Helmetag for 2021. Some of you might remember the original version with the purple cover. Look for the mini-interview at the end of the article.
Here is a Q & A with the authors of the book by Kita Helmetag Murdock & Patsy Helmetag:
Q: What inspired you to write a book about a cicada?
Kita: My mom and I originally wrote Cecily Cicada in 2004, when the Brood X cicadas were about to emerge in Washington, D.C. My then two-year-old daughter was terrified of all bugs, and I was terrified of how she would react when her world was suddenly full of them! We were driving to visit my sister in North Carolina that spring when we had the idea to write a book to ease her fears. Without anything to write on (and without smartphones – times have changed!), we started by writing the first lines in rhyme on the back of a cereal box. By the time we returned home from the trip, we knew we had a book that we wanted to share with all the kids who would be experiencing the cicadas that spring. My mom made the illustrations, and we put the book out into the world. We updated the book for the 2021 Brood X emergence.
Q: Has anyone approached you to make your book into an animated cartoon?
Kita: No, but we wish someone would! It would make a great animated short.
Q: What changes have you made for the 2021 edition of your book?
Patsy: I had so much time during covid that I decided to update all of the illustrations. The new version is brighter and more detailed. We also changed the male singing cicadas to a boy band, from a barbershop quartet, to make them more youthful.
Q: Have you written any other books?
Patsy: I have also written The TransAm Grannies Bicycle Across America and Slothy and Nomi. This past year, during quarantine, I illustrated and co-wrote Squeakestered with my 12-year-old granddaughter.
Kita: I have also written two middle-grade fiction books, Future Flash and Francie’s Fortune.
New Brood XIX and XIII Cicada Book by Dr. Gene Kritsky
Cicada researcher and communicator Dr. Gene Kritsky has a new book about Brood XIX and XIII which are both emerging in the spring of 2024: A Tale of Two Broods: The 2024 Emergence of Periodical Cicada Broods XIII and XIX. It is available in paperback and Kindle formats.
Other posts about Dr. Gene Kritsky on this site:
Cicada Madness, a new cicada-themed fly fishing book
Cicadas are a favorite food of fish, so anglers use lures that emulate cicadas. When there is a large emergence aka “hatch” of cicadas, it can drive the fish into a feeding frenzy, which anglers take advantage of.
There’s a new book called Cicada Madness by author Dave Zielinski that focuses on “timing, fishing techniques, and patterns for cracking the code of epic emergences”. The book features images by myself, Roy Troutman, and others. The book is 164 pages long and features 39 pages of fly patterns.
Cicadapocalypse a graphic novel about periodical cicadas by Roger McMullan
Roger McMullan has a new graphic novel about periodical cicadas called Cicadapocalypse. You can obtain a copy from Roger’s online store.
As I understand it, “the book is intended as an introduction to periodical cicadas for curious kids during a cicada emergence by creating a fictional narrative around the cicadas rather than hitting them over the head with facts”. A cicada emergence through the eyes of some shocked and surprised cartoon squirrels.
It looks fun to me.
Searching for Cicadas by Lesley Gibbes and Judy Watson
Sometimes you can judge a book by its cover. This one is fantastic! Searching for Cicadas by Lesley Gibbes (author) and Judy Watson (illustrator) tells the story of a grandparent and grandchild and their love of searching for and listing to cicadas. The book is set in Australia and features excellent illustrations of Australian species like Double Drummers, Floury Bakers, and Green Grocers. If you’re a library in the New South Wales area or a parent with a kid who loves cicadas, you should own this book. I live in the United States, and I had to import it. Worth every penny. The illustration is accurate and stylish and unique — a fantastic color palate.
The front cover:
Inside illustrations:
2021 Cicada Gift Guide
No matter what you celebrate — Christmas, Hanukkah, birthdays, graduations, Treat Yourself Day — cicada-related items are a great gift! At the end of 2021, I’m sharing cicada gift-related ideas, here and on social media. Check back for more tips.
The Season of the Cicadas by Les Daniels
The Season of Cicadas is the best general book about North American cicadas in print.
A photo guide to common cicadas of the Greater Sydney region by Nathan Emery
This is the best book about cicadas found in Australia in print. Get it from this website.
Cicadas of New Zealand by Olly Hills
This is the only book about the cicadas of New Zealand that I know of. Get it from this website.
Headbone Brood X Notebook
Many will remember the Brood X cicada emergence. How about a souvenir of the emergence and a useful notebook? Check out headbone’s Brood X notebook.
Sue Fink’s Cicada Suite
Sue Fink’s “Cicada Suite” features 2 songs about cicadas on an adorable cicada-shaped flash drive. Irresistible!
Cicadas!: Strange and Wonderful by Laurence Pringle. This book is good for kids, well-illustrated, and covers annual cicadas so it’s good any year.
Cecily Cicada: 2021 Edition by Kita Helmetag Murdock and Patsy Helmetag
Cecily Cicada is a fictional story for kids about a cicada named Cecily. It is a perennial favorite.
Each day I’ll add more gift ideas here.
Cicada Symphony Book
Just in time for Brood X, here’s another cicada book for kids: Cicada Symphony by Lisa Kobman.
I haven’t read the book, so I cannot give my opinion. Lisa says she consulted with Gene Kritsky when writing the book.
Here are some details from Amazon.com: