BOTHERED BY BUGS

Woodland animals learn to appreciate their nemesis: bugs.

After flies interrupt storytime, Pete the badger and his friends capture the insects in jam jars. They don’t stop with flies, though: “Then they noticed the whole woods were crawling with pests, / So they set about capturing all of the rest.” Satisfied with their work, the animals set off to harvest some fruit—but can’t find any. And after attempting to “go potty,” a rabbit reports another problem: “No one’s cleaned up. The whole woods are SO grotty.” From their captivity, the bugs school the animals in their usefulness: “The flies, moths and butterflies, the wasps and the bees / Pollinate all of the flowers and trees” (hence the fruit shortage). This may be news to young readers, who should find the book so diverting that they may not realize they’re on the receiving end of a science lesson. Not all of Gravett’s rhymes scale Seussian heights, but some bounce pretty high. Her art teems with finely detailed vignettes showing the scavenging animals in action and in thought. (A two-page spread depicts several animals looking guiltily at the lamentably trapped bugs.) The story ends in autumn, with the animals and bugs enjoying fruit-centered dishes together; readers who find themselves salivating can satisfy their appetites by following the recipes printed on the book’s endpapers.

Now this is how to educate and entertain.