Bug Blonsky and His Very Long List of Don’ts

Benjamin “Bug” Blonsky, an impulsive seven-year-old who “spend[s] a lot of time in the quiet chair thinking about my choices,” stars in this mischief-stuffed early reader. Bug’s more than 20 rules of things to avoid (“#13 Don’t ask Principal Sternsly if she was pretty when she was young”) frame his school day as it unfolds, and his reader-directed second-person narration turns his story into an extended cautionary tale. Redmond’s ink-and-watercolor illustrations (seen in b&w) feature jug-eared, freckle-faced kids and adults with saggy, caricatured bodies, underscoring humor that often revolves around farts and bad smells; Bug’s teacher, Ms. Munster, is seen bending over when a classmate tricks him into asking her, “Is Uranus the biggest?” Some adults may find the jokes distasteful, but kids will know that Redmond is on their side. Ages 6–9. (Jan.)