Clover, my children's librarian sister is up visiting with her kids and brought a stack of new books for me to look at. Yay!

This one is exceptionally awesome. It is a collection of almost poetry like stories from the perspective of various bugs. And they are the most charming bugs I have ever met in my life!  

It had just rained, so the leaves were all clean and shiny.

The bugs find an abandoned garden and move in.

There is the spunky little ladybug, who is consigned to ladylike behavior by her name. Do you see her drinking tea? AAAAH! So cute.

But when no one was looking, 

Ladybug ran barefoot,

made mud angels,

and whistled through a blade of grass.

Then there is the grouchy butterfly who dashes the dreams of a little horsefly who imagines himself a valiant steed.

You know you're not a horse.

You are a horsefly.

A teeny, tiny bug.

Horsefly stopped running.

He looked at Butterfly and sniffed.

"Well, you're not butter, either."

Then he ran some more.

You can't beat down that Horsefly guy.

The other bugs get on the bee's case and tell him what he supposed to be doing like drinking nectar and making honey.

I don't want to do any of those thing," said Bee.

"What do you want to do, then?"

Bee settled back to watch the clouds.

"Just be," said Bee.

That Bee has the right idea.

Grouchy old Butterfly (which is sort of fun, since butterflies are always seen as happy, hopeful things) is back on the job, trying to show Roly-Poly the futility of his life. But ole Roly-Poly doesn't buy into his grouchiness.

About climbing back up the hill Roly-Poly has just rolled down--

"It will take hours and hours," said Butterfly.

"Maybe even longer," said Roly-Poly.

"You will be tired when you get there," said Butterfly.

"Very, very, very tired," said Roly-Poly.

"What will you do when you get back?" asked the Butterfly.

Roly-Poly looked at him and grinned.

"I'm going to do it all over again."

The bugs watch flowers blooming as though they were fireworks.

Cricket is on top of the swinging gate and makes stirring farewell speeches every time the gate goes outward. Then apologizes and says he has come home every time the gate swings back into the garden. Snail, Ladybug, Roly-Poly, and Little Ant all patiently support him in his delusions, welcoming him back kindly every time the gate swings in. As the Cricket falls off the gate and they can finally stop this whole charade, Little Ant holds up a "Welcome home!" sign for Cricket.

Such nice friends.

Cricket and Big Ant enjoying a peach together.

Earthworm

Bee loved the flowers best from way up high.

He buzzed among the bright petals.

Snail loved the flowers best from the ground.

She glided through the green jungle of stems.

But earthworm loved the flowers best from way

down below.

She wiggled

               and wiggled

                             and giggled

under the rainbows of roots.

A much more exciting world view than is generally given to the earthworm.

The Garden Again

The Garden was old,

with a tumbledown wall

and a one-wheeled barrow.

But it wasn't forgotten

anymore

because they all called it

Home.

This motley family of bugs has made the old abandoned garden a home.

Isn't that a fun book? I am delighted by it!