Some reviews for My Stinky Summer by S. Bug
Horn Book review:
My Stinky Summer by S. Bug [Nature Diary]
by Paul Meisel; illus. by the author
Joining an Awesome Summer (rev. 5/17) and a Happy Year (rev. 5/19) as experienced by a praying mantis and a bluebird, respectively, a stinkbug tells its story about the summer it was born: “June 13: I hatched today.â€� In straightforward scientific thinking delivered in casual prose, the stinkbug tells us how its parents met; where its egg was laid; how it molts (several times) and eventually flies; how it defends itself; and what it eats. “This pepper looked good. I stuck my proboscis in it for a while.â€� The watercolor and acrylic illustrations are humorous yet real-world; painterly and refreshingly un-cartoonish. An explanatory introduction and appended notes fill out the science, noting that the stinkbug is considered an invasive species and a threat to some crops. (Not ³Ù³ó¾±²õÌýbug, I’m sure.) The format and short sentences will suit independent early-chapter-book readers, but do read it aloud, if only for the luxury of saying “stinkâ€� as often as you want to. Appended with a brief glossary and list of recommended websites. ROGER SUTTON
Publishers Weekly:
My Stinky Summer by S. Bug
Meisel’s third Nature Diary showcases the stink bug in a story that spans five months, from early June, when the brown marmorated stink bug narrator arrives (as “one of the twenty eight eggs laid on the underside of this leaf�) to early October, when S. Bug tucks itself under tree bark for the winter. Along the way, the gently humorous volume follows S. Bug as it munches on plants, evades predators, and hears, over and over again, “Ew. Stink bug.� Mixed-media art portrays the insect at different stages of maturity amid leafy spreads, and a cameo by another famous stinker—the skunk—draws laughs. Meisel offers contextualizing information in an introduction and back matter, explaining, for example, how the invasive species likely arrived in the United States and how the bug’s scent helps the species to communicate and survive. An effective addition to the series. Ages 4�8. (July)
