Bug Sandwich

K-Gr 2–Zany, expressive, brightly colored insects welcome readers right from the cover and then title page. Enter the red-headed, lavender-skinned hero of the story with an ongoing problem. These bugs love him, but in the wrong way. They love to bite him. He tries his best to avoid them: underwater in his tub, zooming away on his scooter, covering up in mud, and even visiting outer space. One day a solution pops into his head: bite them back by putting them in a sandwich. First he will need to capture them, which is when he realizes that they are super strong, creative builders. Still, the biting back idea has merit, and he could become a national hero if this solution catches on. He decides to move forward with the sandwich. Just as our hero is about to take his first bite, the bugs yell in unison, “Hold on!” They want to know why this is happening. The boy explains, but they counter. They are just doing their jobs. It looks like a standoff, until our hero’s dad thinks his son left him a sandwich. Smith’s crisp storytelling will have children on the edge of their seats, and the ebullient drawings never fail to engage.