THE DELICIOUS BUG

A deadlock between two chameleons disrupts the forest. Chameleon pals Willy and Wally are hanging out by the pond one day when a plump bumblebug (a bumpy blob of pink with eyes and wings) flies by—“flip flup flip flup.” Lickety-split, both Willy and Wally spring, and both catch the bumblebug, At first, they treat it like a joke, but, when neither will yield, they get annoyed, embarrassed and, finally, enraged. Their struggle takes them to a tree branch hanging over the pond. The full-scale fight disrupts the other animals, lets the bumblebug escape and attracts two hungry crocodiles. One or both of them will surely be eaten, unless they work together. The dialogue makes the most of the ridiculous situation; Willy and Wally, tongues both glued to the bug, lisp as they argue: “Did noth! / Did thoo!” Perlman’s quirky Photoshop illustrations suit the story, providing plenty of laugh-out-loud details. The book’s design, by Karen Powers, adds columns of small pictures that support the main-page action. Bright and appealing. (Picture book. 4-7)