Review by Booklist Review
Like Meisel's My Awesome Summer by P. Mantis (2017), this picture book takes an autobiographical approach to zoology and carries it off with style. Tracing the life of a stink bug, it opens with the parents mating and the laying of eggs. On June 13, the eggs hatch and the bugs crawl away. On July 4, a bird nearly eats S. Bug, who literally creates a stink. The bird spits it out. After molting five times, the full-grown bug has workable wings and flies off to a farm with apples, peppers, and peaches. On October 1, it crawls under tree bark to hibernate. The text is simply written and gently amusing. Created with watercolors, acrylics, and digital tools, Meisel's inviting artwork illustrates the bug's activities, such as molting, foraging, and defending itself against predators. Switching to the human viewpoint, two informative double-page spreads introduce the marmorated stink bug and the problems this invasive species has created in the U.S. since its arrival in 1998. A worthy addition to the attractive Nature Diaries series.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Meisel's third Nature Diary showcases the stink bug in a story that spans five months, from early June, when the brown marmorated stink bug narrator arrives (as "one of the twenty-eight eggs laid on the underside of this leaf") to early October, when S. Bug tucks itself under tree bark for the winter. Along the way, the gently humorous volume follows S. Bug as it munches on plants, evades predators, and hears, over and over again, "Ew. Stink bug." Mixed-media art portrays the insect at different stages of maturity amid leafy spreads, and a cameo by another famous stinker--the skunk--draws laughs. Meisel offers contextualizing information in an introduction and back matter, explaining, for example, how the invasive species likely arrived in the United States and how the bug's scent helps the species to communicate and survive. An effective addition to the series. Ages 4--8. (July)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2--4--In 2018, The New Yorker published the article "When Twenty-Six Thousand Stinkbugs Invade Your Home." That horrifying true tale is listed as a source in Meisel's latest installment in his "Nature Diary" series. Said to be written by S. Bug, this is a first-person account of the first four months of a stink bug's life, from conception to hibernation. Yes, there is a chastely humorous illustration of two stink bugs mating. S. Bug writes about evading predators, feasting on food, and finding shelter, all while educating readers. The story is peppered with dry humor, like a recurring joke about the stink bug being the only creature proud of its triumphs--everyone else just finds it stinky. The book's introduction is written at an adult reading level but includes numerous labeled illustrations to appeal to all readers. The book itself is composed of gorgeously detailed full-page watercolor illustrations and two-page spreads. Each day in S. Bug's life is recounted with one or two simple sentences, such as this entry for July 4: "I was minding my own business eating some lettuce when a bird tried to eat me. I stunk him. He spat me out." Animals and bugs occasionally spout cute lines of dialogue. Back matter includes a glossary, additional facts, and recommended reading. Kids will likely find the tale funny, and adults may even feel a bit sympathetic toward this invasive species. VERDICT Informative for readers of all ages, the book is as charming as its perspective is unusual. A truly unique must-have for any collection.--Chance Lee Joyner, Haverhill P.L., MA
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Joining an Awesome Summer (rev. 5/17) and a Happy Year (rev. 5/19) as experienced by a praying mantis and a bluebird, respectively, a stinkbug tells its story about the summer it was born: "June 13: I hatched today." In straightforward scientific thinking delivered in casual prose, the stinkbug tells us how its parents met; where its egg was laid; how it molts (several times) and eventually flies; how it defends itself; and what it eats. "This pepper looked good. I stuck my proboscis in it for a while." The watercolor and acrylic illustrations are humorous yet real-world; painterly and refreshingly un-cartoonish. An explanatory introduction and appended notes fill out the science, noting that the stinkbug is considered an invasive species and a threat to some crops. (Not this bug, I'm sure.) The format and short sentences will suit independent early-chapter-book readers, but do read it aloud, if only for the luxury of saying "stink" as often as you want to. Appended with a brief glossary and list of recommended websites. Roger Sutton July/August 2020 p.153(c) Copyright 2020. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A malodorous insect narrates its autobiography. A brown marmorated ("veined or streaked like marble," according to the glossary) stink bug describes its summer life cycle and activities in diary form. While the creature celebrates its birth in early June, having hatched from one of 28 eggs laid on the underside of a leaf, others are less than thrilled. This is partly because S. Bug's more-vile-than-fragrant aroma protects it from being eaten and threatened by neighbors. Text is minimal in this fact-filled, captivating title. Sentences are concise and witty, capturing the voice of this feisty individualist. Readers will learn much about the smelly insect, including facts about its plant-based diet--which, unhappily, makes it a crop-damaging pest--and how it develops, after several larval stages, into a fully grown winged creature. Throughout, pithy, comically negative points of view about the stink bug are expressed as hand-lettered dialogue by other animals and insects. The book ends with S. Bug's search for a suitable winter home, which it locates in early October and from which it will emerge the following spring. Appealing colorful illustrations depict natural-world details, rendered in vivid colors. White space and light-colored backgrounds allow kids to focus on S. Bug's activities and habitat. Illustrated facts about stink bugs appear on the endpapers, which are designed so that no text is covered by the flyleaves. Ew! Here's an enticing critter children won't soon forget. (sources, further reading) (Informational picture book. 4-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
