UGH! A BUG

Newcomer Bono's spot-on premise—that kids have conflicted feelings about bugs—ties together this bouncy volume in verse: "If you spied/ a centipede/ slithering by,/ would you reach/ for a stick?/ Run away?/ Start to cry?" Her artwork integrates three-dimensional, startlingly realistic clay sculptures of insects into brightly colored pencil portraits of round-headed, skeptical-looking kids, allowing readers to identify with the scenarios. In some pictures, the bugs appear nearly to scale, but more threatening species loom large (a bee is shown in such close-up detail that the pollen on his body looks like shag carpeting). With tongue firmly in cheek, Bono pleads for greater reflection vis-à-vis the insect world: "Do dragonflies suddenly swoop down and hover?/ They're just being nosy/ so don't run for cover." In the accompanying picture of twins, one girl looks delighted with the insect, the other hides behind her sister. Although the author/artist may not fully assuage the fears of the insect-squeamish or convert the bug-squashing enthusiast, she successfully demonstrates that it's possible to have a sense of humor and a heart about the critters: "Next time you see a bug/ don't make a fuss—/ after all,/ there's a lot more of them/ than of us." Ages 4-8. (Apr.)