There’s a Bug on My Book!

Several small animals commonly considered bugs, as well as a snake and a frog, supposedly land on this book and then leave—for a variety of reasons—each using its own special method of locomotion. Crisp outlines and vivid colors depict the animals in meticulous detail, from the snake’s scales and the worm’s rings to the markings on the backs of spider and frog. Each page has a pleasant, solid-colored background, against which each animal and its shadow are clearly displayed. Simple sentences are directed at readers, with the pretense that real animals are landing on the book and must be gently removed. Regarding the worm: “Let’s push it off. No squishing.” As each animal leaves—by its own volition or with readers’ supposed help—a two-word sentence describes the animal’s movement, as in “Grasshoppers hop.” Playful typography reinforces the motion, as in the slightly higher placement of the “o” in “hop.” There is underlying humor, as readers follow a six-page trail of slug slime, and the text reads, “Slugs slide. But not very fast.” More humor arrives in the form of the returning snake, whose very presence sends the sticky tree frog away (“Good-bye, frog”). Endnotes give more detailed, but still kid-friendly, explanations of all the animals’ movements, and there are two pages of additional activities for teachers and parents. This simple, interactive book about the appearances and movements of things that creep and crawl is elevated by its insistence that all creatures deserve to be respected and handled with care. (Informational picture book. 3-7)

— Kirkus Reviews “STARRED” (January 15, 2017)

“There’s a Bug on My Book will stretch your child’s imagination and introduce him or her to the myriad of different ways that animals move…”

-Seems to be Myka’s favorite of the 3 because she’s 4 and very interested in bugs.
-Nice simple text for young kids.
-Fun to pretend the critters are really on the book and move the pages around to get them off.
-Encourages literacy and outdoor time!
-Learn about special traits of the different critters, like slugs producing slime to glide around on.
-Learn about the food chain some.
-Included in the “Explore More” section at the back:
-Learn more about the critter characteristics that are talked about in the book.
-What qualifies critters as bugs.
-Activity suggestions: Bug hotel, design an insect, games, and more.

— Alicia Owen, Mixed Bag Mama Blog (March, 2017)