Some Bugs

Starred review from January 13, 2014
“The illustrations for this book are rendered in almost everything imaginable,” reads the note on the copyright page of this marvelous encyclopedic look at backyard entomology. What specificity is lacking in this materials citations, debut artist Wenzel more than makes up for in terms of conveying his artistic delight at depicting more than 45 bugs—from the glamorous Monarch butterfly to the leaping Lubber grasshopper, from the tiny pink aphid to the give-it-a-wide-berth scorpion. Even the most squeamish or squash-happy reader will find these critters easy to love. They live in relative harmony (although the endearingly odd Hercules beetles are spoiling for a fight) and busily go about their buggy tasks in the grass, on the wing, and around the pond with bright, eager bug eyes. “Some bugs build./ Some bugs make./ Some bugs hunt./ And some bugs take!” reads DiTerlizzi’s (Say What?) jaunty verse as an ambitious armada of ants raids a picnic basket. So vivid are Wenzel’s compositions that readers will feel transported to a summer day, when the air is musical and life is literally buzzing. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Gotham Group.

January 15, 2014
A picture book that capers with joy in the buggy natural world. With minimal words cajoled into loose rhyme--they have just enough structure to hold their own within the sprawling illustrations--each page of this ebullient book introduces a different bug's proclivity ("Some bugs STING. Some bugs BITE") while a small ladybug saunters past, serving as a cohesive visual element. ("Bug" is loosely construed to include many insects and arachnids.) The mixed-media illustrations play with form and white space, while the artistic-license black-and-white eyes of all the bugs cleverly draw readers' gazes toward them, encouraging close examination. The second-to-final spread--a long shot--reveals to readers that the earlier illustrations in the book are actually close-ups of a single backyard. This visual surprise encourages the friendly accessibility of readers' own backyards as habitats to explore. Only one jarring note disturbs the joyful tone of this book, and that is the indirect permission it gives to readers to capture these critters. As there is no textual exhortation to take care and let the creatures go after examining them, adults will need to underscore this independently. Deceptively simple, with innovative illustrations and a catchy narrative, this book adeptly supplies information, a sense of accessibility, close looking and joie de vivre. (Picture book. 2-5)

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March 1, 2014

PreS-K-Visually detailed, this solid offering offers brief descriptions of a variety of bugs. Mixed-media illustrations emphasize textures and patterns as the insects creep, inch, and flutter along each page. Various perspectives place the bugs as the dominant focus on the scene as they invade each spread. The crisp, rhyming text perfectly suits this fast-paced read-aloud. "Some bugs STING./Some bugs BITE./Some bugs STINK./And some bugs FIGHT!" The simple sentences emphasize the action and appearance of these creepy crawlies. Bold capitalized words highlight each specific sound and action. The bugs are viewed in a variety of outdoor settings, against a backdrop of striking leaves, thick branches, and on top of bubbling water. A dramatic final spread encourages young naturalists to explore the great outdoors. "So kneel/down close, /LOOK/very hard, /and find/SOME BUGS/in your backyard!" Colorful endpapers provide labeled drawings of dozens of bugs. DiTerlizzi demonstrates that it is a bug's world after all, and what a beautiful world indeed.-Meg Smith, Cumberland County Public Library, Fayetteville, NC

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2014
Preschool-G Here's a bright, breezy picture book spotlighting many varieties of bugs, a word used loosely here to include everything from insects to spiders to scorpions. Although the book opens with a plump cat stepping into the yard, the words and pictures focus on the many small species living there. Each turn of the page takes viewers to a small habitat, where they can observe the bugs in a flower garden, by an old log, or in a little pond. The rhyming text moves along quickly in short phrases: Some bugs FLUTTER. / Some bugs CRAWL. / Some bugs / curl up in a / BALL. Offering a roundup of the critters appearing in the book, the final spread shows them again, along with labels such as STINKBUG, BOLL WEEVIL, and HUMMINGBIRD HAWK MOTH. The collage-like mixed-media artwork offers vivid views of the yard and its inhabitants. Fine for reading aloud, this lively picture book encourages kids to look for wildlife in their own backyards.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)