Clarence Cochran, a Human Boy

School Library Journal

Gr 4-6

One evening, a young cockroach wakes up to find that he's been transformed into a miniature human (complete with boxer shorts). When his roach community is threatened with extermination by their host family, Clarence journeys beyond the kitchen to find 10-year-old Mimi Gilmartin and see if her environmentalist views mean she'll help him. But when even her attempts fail, it's only Clarence's new ability to read and write that can save his community from extermination. Clarence's confusion at his transformation and his family's reaction to his ugly human appearance and limited climbing and sensing abilities add humor to the serious plot, as do the illustrations, which spotlight the action. There's a serious message here about environmentalism and the power of words, and the action and suspense make this a good read-aloud or classroom-discussion choice. Like Mary James's Shoebag (Scholastic, 1996), also a tale of cockroach transformation, this is a story about friendship and seeing beyond appearances, but Loizeaux's tiny human has a unique perspective that may bring new understanding about the importance of all species, even one as unpopular as Clarence's.-Beth L. Meister, Milwaukee Jewish Day School, WI

Kirkus Reviews

Clever reimaginings of classics generally rely on awareness of the originals for at least part of their appeal (and most of their humor). That would seem to spell trouble for this reversal of The Metamorphosis. Still, even kids unfamiliar with Kafka's work are likely to enjoy this tale of a young cockroach whose inexplicable transformation into a tiny human boy enables him to save his family from a dreadful death at the hands of an exterminator. Loizeaux paints an entertaining picture of the slovenly Gilmartin family and the bounty that their kitchen provides to the local cockroach community-until the unthinkable happens, and the family catches sight of them. How Clarence copes with his change, the suspicious distaste of his former friends and the threat that faces them all will capture kids' interest. Clarence's ultimate victory, gained by writing a heartfelt plea to Mrs. Gilmartin, isn't entirely convincing, but readers will be pleased at his success. Wilsdorf's black-and-white drawings amplify the humor of the text while highlighting specific action and amusing details. (Fantasy. 9-12)