The Cockroach

April 15, 2020
Grades K-3 Gravel's Disgusting Critters series (2 new titles) nears its conclusion with these penultimate installments on the bat and cockroach. For the uninitiated, these endearing, comical works of nonfiction spotlight gross animals and borrow graphic novel conventions, namely large illustrations and speech-bubble commentary from the critters themselves. Good-natured Diane salutes readers from the cover of The Cockroach, which reveals her impressive running speed, eating preferences (pretty much anything is on the table), favorite living quarters, talent for hitching rides in people's luggage, and ability to reproduce?frequently and abundantly. Gravel ends this title with the fact that cockroaches have been crawling around for over 300 million years, commanding readers to Show respect! Be on the lookout for Mosquitos this July, which will complete this popular series that oozes, wriggles, and buzzes with kid appeal.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)