The Gentleman Bug

March 15, 2010
Thoughtful, scholarly Gentleman Bug and his colleagues inhabit the Garden, an Edwardian town, and it's the contrast between the multilegged creatures and their period costumes that supplies the book's quiet humor. (The Garden is laid out on a map on the endpapers, labeled with locations like Bugadilly Circus and Pollen Hill.) The Gentleman Bug, a teacher of juvenile bugs, falls for Lady Bug; in a sort of anti-Cinderella scene, he appears at a ball in a dapper suit and top hat to impress her. “The rest of the evening didn't go quite as planned,” Hector (The Little Matador
) writes as the bug collides with a waiter. Lady Bug is a librarian, it turns out, and their mutual love of reading draws them together in the end. The fact that the romance unfolds in public reduces the mush factor, and even smaller children will sympathize: “Safe at home, he tried to forget about the Lady Bug, but it was a very hard thing to do.” The combination of an elaborately imagined community and a pared-down plot and text makes this a fine choice for the very young. Ages 2–5.

April 1, 2010
PreS-Gr 2-Populated by a variety of grasshoppers, wasps, bees, and other bugs in Edwardian-style clothing, a British-looking village provides the setting for Hector's odd love tale. The Gentleman Bug, described as a bookworm and dressed in what appears to be scout attire, finds that his life takes a new turn with the arrival of Lady Bug. Determined to attract her attention, he changes his style, turning himself into a dapper fellow sporting striped pants, vest, cravat, and top hat. Lady Bug is not impressed. Then Gentleman Bug gets invited to the opening of the new library, where he meets the librarian (aka Lady Bug) and the two read happily together ever after. This slight but sweet story has a diverse insect cast, pleasing colors and detail, and a bookish theme."Barbara Elleman, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MA"

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2010
Preschool-K Gentleman Bug is a bookish sort. The bachelor ladybug spends his days teaching pupils and reading books, and he doesnt care one whit that the pompous peerage of the Garden (a bug-size facsimile of Victorian-era London) make fun of him for doing so. Then Lady Bug comes to town, and Gentleman Bug decides that he needs a dapper new look to get her attention. The results of his makeover are predictably disastrous, but in a subtle, Cinderella-like twist to the story, Lady Bug discovers that the two insects are kindred spirits after all. Composed as panels against airy, white backgrounds, Hectors crisp, utterly charming watercolor-and-colored-pencil illustrations have a classic, timeless feel, and the spectacularly detailed scenes, which demand close-up viewing, do the bulk of the storytelling. In comparison, the books brief text feels a bit ancillary; but that wont stop young children from poring over Hectors enchanting, wee world and appreciating the storys straightforward, feel-good themes.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)