The Girl Who Loves Bugs

by Lily Murray (Author) Jenny Løvlie (Illustrator)

The Girl Who Loves Bugs
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

A humorous, sweet story about what happens when a passionate girl brings her outside interest indoors.

From the author-illustrator team of A Dress With Pockets comes The Girl Who Loves Bugs.

Evie LOVES bugs, but no one around her seems to understand. While Evie would rather spend all her time outside studying insects, her moms hurry her indoors to prepare the house for company. Everything needs to be PERFECT for her Great-Gran and the rest of their extended family.  

But Evie doesn’t want the fun to be over, and she has a great idea... to bring her bugs inside! Despite her best efforts to keep her little friends hidden, before she knows it the family reunion is totally ruined! With the unexpected help of Great-Gran –who turns out to be a bug-enthusiast too—Evie learns that her interest in bugs is what makes her special (and that the happiest place for bugs to be is outside where they belong).

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Hardcover
$17.99

Kirkus

This delightful story about a passionate insect collector may attract new converts.

Publishers Weekly

Per an end note, Murray and Løvlie model their insect-loving protagonist on British entomologist Evelyn Cheesman (1881-1969) in this rhyming festival of buggy biodiversity. Pale-skinned young Evie brings an array of insects to the family picnic blanket, and when her parents, portrayed with differing skin tones, say it's time to clean house in preparation for visiting family, she decides to tote her catches home as well ("There are ants in her drawers/ and weevils in socks, / a family of pill bugs/ under the clock"). Predictably, the creepy-crawlies fail to stay put, and when extended family arrives the following day, the subsequent meal is disrupted by uninvited guests. Fortunately, catastrophe is averted when Evie finds an unexpected ally ready to encourage her "curious mind." Pastel hues gentles digital renderings, in which delicately drawn critters, many shown with googly eyes, amplify the exaggerated silliness of the plot in this earnest portrait of entomophilia. Back matter includes bug-related activities and a capsule biography of Cheesman. Ages 4-8. (Feb.)

Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1--Rhyming couplets relay the tale of blond, bespectacled Evie who is besotted with insects of all kinds and is well aware not everyone feels the same. After enjoying a picnic, the girl, her mothers, and brother head home to put everything shipshape as they are expecting company. Up to now, Evie has kept her "pets" outside, but decides it's time for her to move some of them into her room. Evie places her insects in particular areas in her bedroom and assumes they will stay put. But, of course, by the time her relatives arrive, the bugs are everywhere and most of her family members are aghast at the sight. "Evie just stands there, shock on her face, for the bugs, she sees, are ALL OVER THE PLACE." Surprisingly, Evie discovers a strong ally among the guests who helps her create a more appropriate home for the insects that will please both her and her family. The charming, meticulously detailed illustrations were rendered digitally and appear in various sizes from vignettes to spreads. One of Evie's mothers resembles the child, with light skin and hair, while the other has brown skin and hair, as does Evie's older brother. At the book's conclusion, readers are introduced to Evelyn Cheesman, a 20th-century entomologist, and learn how to encourage insects to visit their backyard for a safe haven. VERDICT A winner for all children with an interest and desire to care for the natural world.--Maryann H. Owen

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"[A] rhyming festival of buggy biodiversity. "—Publishers Weekly

Lily Murray

Lily Murray is based in the UK and grew up in the wilds of snowy nowhere, spending much of her time talking to animals and making up stories. She has continued to do this in her adult life, and now writes both fiction and non-fiction books for children. Her titles include big books about dinosaurs (Dinosaurium), rhyming books about dinosaurs (The Dinosaur Department Store) and stories about escapee hot dogs (Hello, Hot Dog!).

Follow Lily on Instagram and Twitter @lilymurraybooks.

Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781682636558
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Peachtree Publishers
Publication date
February 06, 2024
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV019000 - Juvenile Fiction | Humorous Stories
JUV002140 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Insects, Spiders, etc.
JUV013030 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Multigenerational
Library of Congress categories
Insects
Grandmothers
Picture books
Families
Humorous fiction

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