Customer Reviews

The Bugliest Bug

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I stumbled upon this book while doing some lunchtime shopping in a kids book store in Portsmouth, NH. The owner highly recommended it. I brought it back to my office and started to read through it. My chuckling outloud caused my colleagues around me to look at me funny :)

The story of an introverted bug turned hero flows from page to page with a cadence that keeps the attention of both child and parent. There are amusing quips that make parents grin and their kids smile while wondering what's so funny ("the mantysis prayed" is a simple but amusing phrase given the context). At the same time, there's plenty of humor and excitement that the child will understand and enjoy.

Beyond the written word, the illustrations are amazingly colorful and fun. The pages have a depth to them that need to be seen to understand.

My son loves all the bugs and asks questions about nearly every one. It has quickly become a bedtime staple. Highly recommend. A welcome diversion from Bob the Builder and Arthur!

This is such a fantastic book-I cannot rave enough!! It is a story of a bug contest to determine which bug is the "bugliest" of them all. Of course Dilly, our heroine, is filled with self-doubt and low esteem but she attends anyway. Well, she proceeds to save the day but I won't reveal how it ends.

The story is a great learning tool about the different types of insects and their characteristics. Moreoever, it is filled with self-esteem and basic character education.

In the back of the book, you get free bug trading cards loaded with information on the various insects featured in the story. This book is thoroughly entertaining and educationally sound!

Bugs galore fill this playful fantasy. Set in the undergrowth world of insects, the bugs decide to hold a contest to determine the bugliest bug. During the contest the insects are acknowledged for their particular attributes by the judges who turn out to be arachnids in disguise. The arachnids have ensnared the bug "snacks" in their web when Dilly Damselfly comes to the rescue. Dilly reminds the bugs that the only way to save themselves is to do what they do best. "The army ants marched and the mantises prayed...Then the stink bugs united, gave off their worst smells. 'P.U., we give up!' the spiders all yelled." In the predictable, but satisfying ending, Dilly is proclaimed "the bugliest bug of us all!"
Nash's colorful, cartoonish illustrations are paired perfectly with Shields' delightful, rhyming text. The bugs have distinct personalities and characteristics which are cleverly portrayed in word and art. The illustrations virtually fly off the pages as the insects are described in humorous vignettes in which they perform their particualar talent.
The added bonus of tear-out trading cards will delight young readers. Each card features one of the book's colorful characters, with a clever anecdote and a simple scientific synopsis.
This is a great book for bug lovers of all ages, but particularly those ages 4-8.

This is a very nice book. The book is suitable for ages 4-8. I use it for grades K-3rd (ESE & ELL). I like the illustrations, but they tend to be rather clustered and numerous for this age group.

This makes the pages a bit too busy. The pictures are animated in nature and vivid in color. However, the illustrations are not scientifically accurated--insects have six legs.

I like the print size and the location of the print on the pages. The book has several bugs that most books do not have. Nonetheless, I do like this book.

I wish I had bought it in a hardcover because I use it for reading and language arts. I suggest reading the book over time such that students grasp the message.

I also suggest spending time reviewing each page because they contain a great deal of information.

The book is not great for science because of the inconsistencies in the characterizations of the illustrations from page-to-page--sometimes the same type of bugs are triangular in shape and sometimes they are round in shape and their leg numbers vary.

This can be very confusing for young students. They are very hearty visual learners at this stage. The illustrations do not support the theme...six legs vs. eight legs.

My 3 and 4 year olds seem to really enjoy this story of the crafty spiders tricking the other bugs into all gathering for the contest and trapping them into their net. while one of the smallest bugs, who doesn't feel that she has any talents at all for the supposed talent show(the trick to get the bugs together), finds a way to safve all the bugs for the spiders.

there is a quit a bit to talk about in this book and it took us reading it a few times to really get the grasp of everything going on in it. Hints are given throughout the story to let the reader know that there is a trap being set and the bugs have been tricked. There are many different kinds of bugs in this story and some are quit easy to talk about, while others are a abit confussing as to exactly what they are.

The pages are quit busy and cluttered, making this not as adaptable to reading to very young children, (1 and 2 yr olds).

at a reading level 3.1, there is a far amount of vocabulary in it for the very young, but 4 and 5 year olds and even some 3 year olds can appreciate the crafty spiders trying to gather their meal.

themes can include, everyone has something special about them and working together.

Such a cute book. The librarian at the school even liked it and bought some for the library. I laugh everytime I read it.

The illustrations were inviting and the text was alluring. The text was both somewhat informative about bugs and imaginative. My 4 yr. old grandson loved it.

Love the ryhmes! Love the story! Love the lesson hopefully my girls will take from it.

Correct bug names, good rhyme, great theme, awesome illustrations, fun storyline...what more could you ask in a children's picture book. Get this book, you won't be sorry. Our one year old son loves this book.

Cute story with proper names of bugs used. We have 2 grandchildren ages 6 and 7 who love to bug hunt so it's a great addition to Gramma's library for story time with the kids.