Cricket in the Thicket: Poems about Bugs

Murray assembles nearly 30 poems about familiar insects, sometimes educational ("I carry little pods of air/ beneath each shiny wing," she writes about a water bug), sometimes providing an insect's-eye view of life ("I am not loved, not loved at all," sighs a cockroach, "I'm not like any other"). The balance of the poems are third-person descriptive: "Whizzing and whirling/ in fabulous flight./ Whooshing like rockets/ to tell us 'good night.' " Perhaps to amplify the comedy, a few poems assume that insects bother humans--understandable regarding the mosquito, more surprising in the case of the bumblebee: "Rumble, rumble, Bumblebee./ Don't you know you're bugging me?" To even the score, Murray also lobbies for unloved insects: "Let's Hear It for Dung Beetle!" Sweet's (Some Writer!) illustrations--with their graceful lines, luminous colors, and sly wit--delight throughout, offering delicious moments as a fly contemplates a tableful of Wayne Thibaud-like cakes and a walking stick stands among delicate twigs. Additional information about each insect is supplied on each page and in closing notes. Ages 6-10. Illustrator's agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (May)

Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Gr 3-5--Bouncy little poems skitter across the illustrated pages as Murray celebrates bugs, from walking sticks to dung beetles. Her fruit flies -stage an invasion and vanish like snow,- her mosquitoes are -ready and eager,- and her grasshoppers are -built with precision and speed.- Sweet's graceful, cartoony watercolors capture the essence of the rhymes. Each poem is accompanied by a discreet fact box, while three additional pages of data lurk in the back of the book. This title is not as distinguished as, say, Paul Fleischman's Newbery winner Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices or Douglas Florian's handsome Insectlopedia: Poems and Paintings, but it stands delicately on multiple feet, chirpy as a cricket. VERDICT Sprightly, simple, and with a nice soupcon of information; a fine choice for large poetry collections.--Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

An NCTE Notable Poetry Book
A Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Award Nominee
A Pennsylvania Keystone to Reading Award Masterlist Selection
A 2018 Kansas Notable Book

"A welcome balance of lilting poetry and informational text boxes set to Sweet's eye-catching collage illustrations, Murray's narrative is designed to reach a broad range of young readers. . . . An approachable poetry collection on a genial topic, chock-full of visual delights."—Booklist

Murray skillfully uses line breaks and meter to bring her subjects to life. . .Sweet's colorful collage illustrations incorporate scraps of yellowed pages from old entomological journals . . . A friendly package that should draw in even bug-phobic readers, providing a non threatening entree into the insect world."—The Horn Book

"Sweet's illustrations—with their graceful lines, luminous colors, and sly wit—delight throughout, offering delicious moments"—Publishers Weekly

"Bouncy little poems skitter across the illustrated pages as Murray celebrates bugs, from walking sticks to dung beetles. Sprightly, simple, and with a nice soupcon of information; a fine choice."-School Library Journal

"A lighthearted treasury. . . the poems are clever and humorous . . .Happy-go-lucky fun with words, collage, and a smattering of facts about bugs."-Kirkus Reviews

"Sweet's familiar blend of delicacy and quirky character . . . is perfect for rendering the familiar insects strange yet somehow cozy. . . A tuneful entry in an early insect curriculum."—The Bulletin