Insect Soup: Bug Poems

From the Publisher

"If you're not familiar with Barry Polisar's enchanting yet loony brand of children's poetry, try his books."  —First Coast Parent

"Children and adults alike will enjoy the collaboration of words with watercolor illustrations in this book of humorous poetry."  —Miami Family Magazine

Miami Family Magazine

Children and adults alike will enjoy the collaboration of words with watercolor illustrations in this book of humorous poetry.

Children's Literature - Mary Quattlebaum

No matter where you roam, chances are you'll be sharing quarters with some six-legged friend or foe. Barry Louis Polisar celebrates this buggy world in Insect Soup. Polisar creates the kind of humorous verse that begs to be read aloud again and again. David Clark's colorful portraits are chockfull of the wacky details that so delight kids. For example, the dung beetle carries, not a napkin, but a roll of toilet paper and the flea has teeth bigger than those of the poor dog it bites.

Children's Literature - Carolyn Mott Ford

Each one of the fifteen poems presented in this book is about a different insect and most of the bug-eyed bugs featured are of the gross variety. There are poems about such likeable creatures as the praying mantis and the butterfly, but even they are humorously unsettling. The poem about the millipede is clever, but most of the other creatures, such as the dung beetle, oriental cockroach, lice and chiggers are just naturally downright disgusting. While the poems and illustrations may not reflect enough whimsy to carry the day with sensitive children or adults, kids generally enjoy gross-out humor and some of the poems will undoubtedly tickle that special funny bone they have which often has them laughing at jokes which adults either don't get or don't want to get. The last page contains factual information about all the featured insects.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 4-A collection of 15 poems that range from the truly disgusting to the humorous to the mildly amazing. The author and illustrator give these creatures bizarre personalities that are sure to tickle young entomologists' funny bones. A millipede is described as a pet for which the narrator "...made five hundred pair/Of tiny silken slippers," while a roach is depicted as a clever bon vivant wearing a gas mask to ward off bug sprays and ignoring the roach motel set out nearby. Meanwhile, an army of ants, "Regimented, single file," stream into a kitchen, bearing on a pallet their "queen," who is decked out in appropriately regal attire. The watercolor illustrations portray many insects in human clothing, with plenty of sharp teeth and huge, buggy eyes. Set in an extra-large bold font, the poems range from four lines to several stanzas and each one of them goes for the laugh. Deep colors, especially in the backgrounds, and sweeping lines pump up the volume and help deliver the humor. The final page supplies some information about the species featured in the verses. For a creepy, crawly good time, pair this with Douglas Florian's Insectlopedia (Harcourt, 1998), which gives quite a different view of the insect kingdom.-Jane Marino, Scarsdale Public Library, NY Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.