Beetle Boy - Softcover

Lawrence, David; Durand, Delphine

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0747551308 ISBN 13: 9780747551300

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2002

Synopsis

Gregory Sampson woke one morning to discover that he had become a giant beetle. He had a large, purple-brown beetle body. He had two long beetle antennae. And six, thin, hairy beetle legs.' 'Gregory, get dressed and come down for breakfast,' his dad called. When Gregory Sampson wakes up one day to find he has become a beetle, he is pretty upset. But what is more upsetting is that nobody notices! Not his mother, not his father, not his sister, not his teacher. Only his best friend Michael realises that Gregory is now a beetle. Together, they try and work out what to do. This is a brilliantly funny story that has deceptively complex messages, touching on relationships within the family, self-confidence and how others perceive you. A classic of the future. "Better than Pokemon. I sent this to my eight year old nephew and I hear he's very upset that he's not Beetle Boy. He's memorised much of the book already. It's replaced Pokemon as his reason for living." - A customer from Amazon.com.

About this title

Review:

When second grader Gregory Sampson wakes up one morning to discover that he has become a giant beetle, his ensuing day is distinctly Kafka-esque, yet in a totally childlike way. For one blighted day, young hard-shelled Gregory faces an extreme version of the common outrage of the 6- to 8-year-old whose parents have ceased watching and admiring his every toddling move: No one notices him one bit. Not when his slippery beetle self falls down the stairs and he lies there wriggling all six legs in the air. Not when he waves a claw through the air at the breakfast table. Not even when he bellows across the kitchen, "Look at me. I'm a giant beetle."

Lawrence David's deft and buoyant comprehension of family life enables him to relate this tale of childhood invisibility with both pathos and humor. To Gregory's pronouncement, the father replies: "And I'm a hippo." "You've always been our little bug-a-boo," says the mom, her eyes on the morning headlines. His sister merely takes his bacon, murmuring, "Do bugs like bacon?" Gregory's changes get noticed, finally, by his best friend Michael.

Despite the frustrating oblivion of his family, the beetle boy's adaptive abilities keep the story brave and easygoing. Even when Gregory's at the height of his confusion, we see him cutting extra armholes in his shirt for his two new arms ("Or were they legs?"), whopping a soccer ball with his antenna to make a score, and generously offering to use his extra arms to carry his clueless sister's backpack. In equal measure, Delphine Durand's busy, vivacious illustrations convey that no matter the depth of a problem, life itself doesn't lose all its color.

In this wonderfully told story, the parents don't remain distracted forever, and the child--forgiving of their trespasses--accepts, and is healed by, their tardy recognition of the huge changes they didn't see. It's a moving, beautifully rendered moment--and most certainly powerful enough to turn a six-legged bug back into a little boy. (Ages 6 and older) --Jean Lenihan

From the Back Cover:

Praise for Lawrence David's The Good Little Girl:

"David...effectively depicts how disappointment upsets even the best-natured child....Readers who distinguish between righteous anger and spoiled-rottenness will understand Miranda's angst and learn a few things about diplomacy."
--Publishers Weekly

"Lucretia will appeal to every child who has ever succumbed to vague parental procrastinations, and Oubrerie's illustrations are just what the story ordered: bug-eyed, elemental, and more than a tad crazy."
--Kirkus Reviews

About this edition

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0747551308
• ISBN 13: 9780747551300
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 32