Desmond and the Naughtybugs (review)

A normally sweet and well-behaved young boy, Desmond is currently under attack by the Naughtybugs. First the Sloggies show up to slow him down to a dawdle as he gets ready for school, then the Peskies arrive with their relentless suggestions for creating mayhem at the grocery store, next the Squirmies find him at his favorite restaurant, and finally the Whineys earn him a session in the time-out chair. After a week of progressive pestilence, it's no wonder that the entire family is attacked by Snarlies; fortunately, they flee at the first sight of the Gigglies. While this may sound like an infestation of the Sickly Sweets, there is enough humor in the watercolor illustrations and life-with-kids knowingness in the situations to pull the joke off successfully, and the storytelling is sound, with a narrative arc that proceeds smoothly through an escalating conflict, a sudsy climax, and a cozy and clever dénouement. The fanciful bugs have an off-world whimsy that marries form to function as they torture the loose-limbed, harried Desmond into reluctant misbehavior; Mom and Dad's facial expressions change convincingly from long-suffering to fed up to tuckered but relieved as the bugs move on to torture some other unsuspecting tyke. Since there isn't a family in the world who hasn't felt as if some sinister force were pulling their strings on occasion, this child-friendly version of "the devil made me do it" may introduce a useful new metaphor into the family lexicon.