The Bug in the Bog – Jonathan Fenske. Simon Spotlight, 2020. 9781534477247
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 4
Genre: Early reader
What did you like about the book? Simple, repetitive text and clean line illustrations that belie a surprising,and sometimes slightly dark twist, are Jonathan Fenske’s stock in trade, and this book is no exception. A bug sits on a log in a bog, watching bubbles and daydreaming about unicorn bugs. Along comes a hungry frog with a sneaky smile, and in rolls the fog, obscuring the characters and leaving the reader only sound effects. When the fog clears, only one character remains in the bog.
Young readers will delight in the comic illustrations – the facial expressions practically tell the whole story without needing words – and they’ll laugh at the surprise ending (even after multiple reads). The lilting rhythm and the rhyme scheme will make this book fun to read out loud too, and a few new vocabulary words, like bog and bob, are introduced. A fine choice for a quick storytime in K-1 classrooms, especially if working on habitat units in science!
Anything you did not like about the book? no
To whom would you recommend this book? A worthy addition to early reader collections where Elephant & Piggie reign – for fans of Willems, Pizzoli, et al. as well as previous books by Fenske.
Who should buy this book? Preschools, public and elementary school libraries
Where would you shelve it? Early readers
Should we (librarians) put this on the top of our “to read” piles? no
Reviewer’s Name, Library (or school), City: Leigh Russell King, Lincoln Street School, Northborough, Massachusetts.
Date of review: 3/26/2021
Youth Services Book Review 
You must be logged in to post a comment.