Beetle Bedlam

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

In this labored courtroom comedy, the "court" is the lush, leafy environs of the Goliath beetle; the defendant, a bark beetle accused of killing trees. Nine beetle witnesses bumble forward, from the click beetle, who throws himself into the air, lands on his back and plays dead, to the harlequin beetle, whose long, elegant antennae distract the Goliath beetle. Justice is served when the bark beetle agrees to take up residence only in the bark of sick or dead trees. While incorporating myriad facts, Van Kampen's (Dinosaur Days) vernacular dialogue aims at hipness but falls short, relying instead on the obvious humor of the Hercules beetle's macho stance ("These horns? Just for show. Totally bogus. But hey, don't tell my enemies, okay pal?") or the bombardier beetle's gas ("A really big explosion. Brutal smell!"). Far more imaginative, the huge, vibrant watercolor illustrations put wild textures under a telephoto lens: filmy underwings, twiggy or plated legs, antler-like mandibles. The close perspective and shallow depth, however, make it difficult to distinguish the beetles among the mayhem of thoraxes, pincers, antennae and strange color patternsaltogether too much bedlam. A glossary details the 12 beetles featured. All ages. (Aug.)

Children's Literature - Sue Preslar

The bark beetle is on trial for killing trees. After listening to various witnesses-the harlequin beetle, the tiger beetle, etc.-the king goliath beetle asks the bark beetle to explain himself before judgment is passed. The lush illustrations and the habits of the beetles are accurate and informative. The glossary at the back of the book provides a detailed reference on each beetle type, which should encourage a child's interest in entomology.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2When a bark beetle is accused of killing trees, the beetle community conducts a trial. A variety of species takes the stand with the Goliath presiding. At last the accused confesses that its breed does live under the bark of trees but usually only dead ones. The defendant is found not guilty. This story is a thinly veiled entomology lesson with poorly anthropomorphized characters. The text is disjointed and confusing. Buggy witnesses abound and are named (tiger, dung, Hercules, and stag are among the 12 presented), but they do nothing to move the story forward. The illustrations are entomologically correct and in lush, vivid colors, but the page design is cluttered. It is difficult to identify the various characters, and the backgrounds of bug's-eye-view vegetation often obscure the action. Stick to Sandra Markle's splendid Creepy Crawly Baby Bugs (Walker, 1996) or Margery Facklam's Big Bug Book (Little, Brown, 1994) for a more enjoyable foray into the insect world.Ellen M. Riordan, Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore, MD

Kirkus Reviews

There's much ado about nothing in this forced-into-fiction look at the world of beetles. A drunk Goliath beetle is roused from his stupor by a lowly ladybug to preside over royal court proceedings concerning bedlam in beetle land. Bark beetles are the culprits, accused of killing trees and making them sing before they die. An array of witnesses are marched in to give testimony. Through this contrivance readers gain introduction to individual members of the beetle kingdom—the fiddler beetle, click beetle, dung beetle, etc. Although beetles elicit natural interest among children, their uniqueness is lost amidst the anthropomorphisms of this picture-book charade. The overly purposeful courtroom drama serves as a prop for the exploration of beetles; van Kampen, a talented artist whose illustrated glossary shows her capacity for clean, clear presentation, stuffs the canvas with bombastic beetles in commotion rather than motion. A fascinating subject marred by pretension.