Bugs Galore

Stein and Staake follow up Cars Galore (2011) with an equally energetic ode to insects, which Staake portrays interacting with children—sometimes to their delight, sometimes not—in a style that’s Dr. Seuss meets Hieronymus Bosch. Stein’s staccato verse keeps an upbeat tempo throughout: “Some bugs cruise/ around in groups./ Some bugs fly in/ loop-de-loops./ Some bugs land/ smack-dab in soups/ Some bugs crawl/ right under... oops” (the “oops” bug is shown flattened under a girl’s shoe). The madcap cartoons create an atmosphere that feels almost interplanetary, playing up the alien nature (and the diversity) of the insect world. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)