I Love Bugs! (review)

The title pretty much says it all: our protagonist, a curly-haired little guy, adores the various multilegged animals referred to colloquially as "bugs." In internally rhymed lines, he describes his fields of interest ("I love fuzzy sunny honey bugs and furry whirry funny bugs"), finally noting that his favorites are the spiders ("The hang-from-the-ceiling bugs … and send me squealing bugs!"). The text is essentially just a list, but it's a lively one; the adjectives are tongue-ticklingly read-aloudable, and the subject just naturally draws attention, both positive and negative. The full-bleed spreads are rich with entomological joie de vivre, the subject bugs twirling for their close-ups with surprising elegance and glamour; though there are no notes identifying the creepy crawlies, they seem pretty darn zoologically correct, yet they also fit decoratively into the compositions. Digital color balances soft patterning (the rustling green foliage of the meadow is particularly appealing) against broad sweeps of complementary hues, with layering adding texture and the robust roundness of the protagonist providing a shapely counterpoise to the leggy buggies. While bug-lovers will particularly relish the proceedings here, even those audience members who find infestations an occasion for delighted shrieking may be lured into reconsidering their nemeses.