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From Horn Book

January 1, 2021
In this darkly funny early reader in rhyme, the cheerful titular bug doesn't seem to be long for this world when a frog shows up in the bog; the simply drawn, expressive cartoon illustrations show the frog eyeing the bug hungrily and even donning a bib. A fog obscures a moment that seems to be the end of our insect friend, but that boldly lettered "CHOMP!" and "CHEW!" might not mean what readers assume at first. Simple rhymes, repeated words, and brief lines of text in large print make for an effective easy reader, and the decoding work pays off in a story with humor, suspense, and nearly singable meter ("See the bug in the bog. // See the bug on a log. / See the bug watch / the muddy bog bubble. // The bug sits. / The bug sings. / The bug thinks / happy things, // never dreaming / there could be some trouble"). It could also lend itself to a lesson plan about making predictions -- if one doesn't mind having one's predictions upended in the silliest way possible. (Burp.)

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)