Very simple, Byron Barton–like art featuring a dozen mites with engagingly oversized, googly eyes overcomes iffy rhyming—and even iffier biology—to offer a deceptively sophisticated sequence of math and design concepts. It begins and ends with a “bug”—actually a caterpillar—who provides the supporting base for various combinations of creatures—from a spider and a pair of snails to worms, bees, and finally a tiny flea, all of whom arrive or depart piecemeal, perch together in various acrobatic architectures, then finally disperse after the inevitable collapse: “Look out—they’re falling! / The poor little things! / They all should go home / Before bedtime begins.” Verbal pratfalls aside, this makes a playful way to take that first, challenging step past simple addition, offering plenty of practice in both counting and pattern recognition. (Picture book. 3-4)