Lawrence David (–2022)

Gregory wakes up one morning to discover to his surprise that he's a bug. Specifically, a beetle. Sadly, not only does nobody notice, almost nobody believes him when he tries to tell them.

Well, here's a book that's got ratings all over the place! As of the date of my review there is one super-low, one super-high (mine), and two solid in the middle. Here's why I went with super-high: 1. The pictures are delightful. Crisp, clean, a little blocky, with great expressions on faces 2. The story makes me giggle more than once in a reading. 3. The writing is well designed for being read aloud. 4. I like the people in the story. They feel 'real' to me.

The only possible con I have: it's a wee bit lengthy for a picture book. I'm okay with that because the story is so good and I don't see anything to cut. It's wordy with a purpose, not just because someone didn't know how to write or edit.

The title page states that this book was inspired by Franz Kafka's 'The Metamorphosis'. I can't speak to that, as I've not read Franz Kafka's 'The Metamorphosis'. But I have read Beetle Boy, and I find it quite a delightful book.… (altro)