BUG OFF!
by Cathi Hepworth & illustrated by Cathi Hepworth
Hepworth (Antics!, 1992) once again presents pests with personality. Bees, moths, gnats, mites, ticks, lice, roaches, and ants star in words that—to most readers’ surprise—feature insects. RomANTic depicts two amorous ants sharing a soda; StaGNATe offers a gnat relaxing in a thick, murky swamp; BEEthoven displays a famous insect composer. Hepworth’s humorous, expressive insect images encourage wordplay and observation, but without the thematic piquancy of the previous book. This one is organized into three sections, dividing the creatures into “A Real Fly-by-Night Operation” (those that fly), “Don’t Let the Bedbugs Bite” (those that bite), and “The Unwelcome House Guests” (those that inhabit homes)—angles that will be easiest to grasp among those with prior knowledge of bugs and their ilk. (Picture book. 5-9)