In Peter Kuper’s Insectopolis, the bugs outlive us—and inherit our libraries. While the book starts as an ode to the New York Public Library’s educational exhibitions, it soon takes a turn when an apocalyptic episode clears the streets. Void of humans, the insects of New York head to the Public Library to see its newest exhibit—about the history of insects. With insects as the world’s dominant class, Kuper, a Cold Spring resident, weaves a 400-million-year journey of entomological history.
The insects are full of jabs, puns, and dad jokes. A grasshopper and a cricket spend two whole pages grumbling over the negative connotation given to phrases like “bug out” and “catching a stomach bug.” The insects also encounter misogyny for the first time, much to their chagrin. One dragonfly is particularly upset at the exhibit’s overemphasis on masculine scientists, loudly declaring that “There’s no ‘king bee.’” The book makes it up to the insects by honoring women naturalists such as Rachel Carson and Maria Sybilla Merian.
Kuper’s witty writing, educational tangents, and fantastical plot happen over detailed drawings that capture the colorful life force of insects. An exhibition of art from Insectopolis is up through September 20 at the Society of Illustrators in New York City. Through both its art and its writing, Insectopolis is a true ode to insects and the environmental resilience they represent.
This article appears in September 2025.
