03/13/2023
A bug-bitten boy believes revenge is a dish best served between two slices of bread in this raucous examination of the world of backyard insects. Running and hiding—even underwater or in outer space—doesn’t stop the steady buzz of bites and stings plaguing this picture book’s protagonist, so the boy decides he’ll sink his teeth into his tormentors via his own recipe for a bug sandwich (“You bite me, and I’m gonna have to bite you back”). But as he gathers the flying, crawling, buzzing ingredients in a jar, he notices each insect’s special qualities, from ants’ superstrength to bees’ intricate hive-building. A sandwich slap-together follows, but just as he’s about to chow down, the boy pauses to listen to the bugs’ arguments for a reprieve. Boldly hued, animation-style artwork from Smith (You’re Missing It!) stylistically blends patterns and electric hues. Speech bubbles stemming from the protagonist, portrayed with light skin and vibrant orange hair, and from various insects provide funny asides alongside upbeat text. Kinetic scenes of the boy’s bug-catching adventures, the bugs’ intricate coloration, and notes of mild gross-out humor should prove appealing to insect admirers and detractors alike. Ages 3–7. (May)
There’s a fun twist in store that will have readers wondering what they’d do if they unknowingly bit into a bug sandwich. The hilariously over-the-top story will earn giggles and nods of recognition from the bug averse. With loud colors and a zany, chaotic tone, the cartoon art is delightful. A page on which tall yellow block letters spell out the word AHHHH! as a mosaic of colorful bugs, together forming a huge, ravenous insect, fly after the boy will have many readers transfixed. Readers may even come away appreciative of bugs, too—one page shows the boy staring admiringly at bees as they create a hive and at a spider as it weaves a web and catches a mosquito. A goofy premise that works.” —Kirkus Reviews
“A bug-bitten boy believes revenge is a dish best served between two slices of bread in this raucous examination of the world of backyard insects. . . . Boldly hued, animation-style artwork from Smith (You’re Missing It!) stylistically blends patterns and electric hues. Speech bubbles stemming from the protagonist . . . and from various insects provide funny asides alongside upbeat text. Kinetic scenes of the boy’s bug-catching adventures, the bugs’ intricate coloration, and notes of mild gross-out humor should prove appealing to insect admirers and detractors alike.” —Publishers Weekly
“Our bug-bitten protagonist is furiously annoyed with the creepy-crawlies that inexplicably target him, leaving him with ouches and itches, so now he’s ready to bite back, quite literally. . . . The digital illustrations are classically cartoony, with the expressive wide-eyed protagonist sporting a mop of red hair atop an oversized head, and the vivid palette hedges—appropriately so—toward garishness. The bugs themselves really sell the show, though, donning the occasional top hat or bandana and with prominent stingers or mandibles rendered goofily harmless with bright, geometric patterns. Kids who’ve wondered why they seem to be particularly tasty to biting bugs won’t find answers here, but it’s still a gleeful tale of almost vengeance that ends on a note of understanding the natural world.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“Zany, expressive, brightly colored insects welcome readers right from the cover and then title page. . . . Smith’s crisp storytelling will have children on the edge of their seats, and the ebullient drawings never fail to engage. Quick, fun, and visually delightful, this tale will be enjoyed for the ick factor and the humor.” —School Library Journal
06/30/2023
K-Gr 2—Zany, expressive, brightly colored insects welcome readers right from the cover and then title page. Enter the red-headed, lavender-skinned hero of the story with an ongoing problem. These bugs love him, but in the wrong way. They love to bite him. He tries his best to avoid them: underwater in his tub, zooming away on his scooter, covering up in mud, and even visiting outer space. One day a solution pops into his head: bite them back by putting them in a sandwich. First he will need to capture them, which is when he realizes that they are super strong, creative builders. Still, the biting back idea has merit, and he could become a national hero if this solution catches on. He decides to move forward with the sandwich. Just as our hero is about to take his first bite, the bugs yell in unison, "Hold on!" They want to know why this is happening. The boy explains, but they counter. They are just doing their jobs. It looks like a standoff, until our hero's dad thinks his son left him a sandwich. Smith's crisp storytelling will have children on the edge of their seats, and the ebullient drawings never fail to engage. VERDICT Quick, fun, and visually delightful, this tale will be enjoyed for the ick factor and the humor.—Elisabeth LeBris
2023-02-25
A boy battles bugs.
Bugs won’t leave this child alone. To avoid them—and their bites—he goes to extremes, covering himself in mud, hiding out in his bathtub, and even heading for outer space. But nothing works. Finally, the boy decides to catch the creatures in a jar and “bite those bugs back”—by making them into a sandwich. Squished between two slices of white bread, the bugs ask why; he replies that their bites are annoying. “We’re annoying?” “What about you? You swat us!” The boy has second thoughts, and it looks as though the bugs are safe…although there’s a fun twist in store that will have readers wondering what they’d do if they unknowingly bit into a bug sandwich. The hilariously over-the-top story will earn giggles and nods of recognition from the bug averse. With loud colors (the boy has purplish-pink skin and orange hair) and a zany, chaotic tone, the cartoon art is delightful. A page on which tall yellow block letters spell out the word AHHHH! as a mosaic of colorful bugs, together forming a huge, ravenous insect, fly after the boy will have many readers transfixed. Readers may even come away appreciative of bugs, too—one page shows the boy staring admiringly at bees as they create a hive and at a spider as it weaves a web and catches a mosquito. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A goofy premise that works. (Picture book. 4-6)
