"A terrific prompt and conversation starter for young artists." —Kirkus Reviews on What's Your Favorite Bug?

"Eye-catching larger-than-life illustrations and interesting information that might spark further investigation into the insect world make this an excellent choice for all libraries." —School Library Journal on What's Your Favorite Bug?

"A handsome volume." —Booklist on What's Your Favorite Bug?

"The art is appealing and frameworthy, reflecting the various styles of the creators, and the text ranges from poster art to paragraphs to poetry. An inspiring resource for sparking creativity" —Booklist on What's Your Favorite Color?

"A varied and engaging omnibus that offers real insight into the lives and personalities of these artists." —Publishers Weekly, starred review, on What's Your Favorite Animal?

"Showcasing 14 contemporary (mainly American) picture-book illustrators, this handsome volume asks the title question and devotes a double-page spread to each artist's answer." —Booklist on What's Your Favorite Animal?

"This menagerie offers picture-book lovers of all ages a glimpse into each creator's style, personality, and brand of humor." —Kirkus Reviews on What's Your Favorite Animal?

06/01/2018
PreS-Gr 2—In this companion to What's Your Favorite Animal? and What's Your Favorite Color?, 14 children's book illustrators join Carle in revealing their favorite insects. Using different media and artistic styles, along with poems, anecdotes, or brief information about the merits of their creature, each contributor presents his or her choice on a spread. The insects are striking, and most appear stretched across the pages. Carle, who humorously depicts himself with a caterpillar head complete with antennae and huge eyes above his bushy white beard, begins. He loves caterpillars because The Very Hungry Caterpillar has made fans the world over. Six adorable bees dance and sway atop huge flowers as Molly Idle describes the "boogie-woogie wiggle" and "buzzing ballet" they use to lead their companions to the best blossoms. A worker bee, Eric Fan's favorite, stands upright carrying a briefcase and sporting a bowler. Three incredibly patterned peacock spiders crawl across Brendan Wenzel's pages. Back matter provides brief biographies accompanied by childhood photos for all the illustrators: Denise Fleming, Teagan White, Beth Krommes, Scott Magoon, Ekua Holmes, Tim Hopgood, Kenard Pak, Britta Teckentrup, Eugene Yelchin, and Joey Chou. VERDICT Eye-catching larger-than-life illustrations and interesting information that might spark further investigation into the insect world make this an excellent choice for all libraries.—Marianne Saccardi, Children's Literature Consultant, Cambridge, MA

2018-04-25
A lively collection of illustrations of crawling, creeping, and flying creatures offers a look at the versatility of several well-known children's artists.As with What's Your Favorite Animal? (2014) and What's Your Favorite Color? (2017), Carle here showcases the work of 15 friends whose responses to the title question offer a wonderful range of styles, media, and palettes together with brief stories, poems, and comments. Multicolored dots on the green endpapers suggest caterpillar eggs on a leafy background. Each of the varied selection of arthropods within is presented in a contained but generous two-page spread. The creature selection goes beyond the title's "favorite bugs" to include millipedes and a couple of spider species. Facts about each are spare or absent, but this is an art book rather than an informational work. Selections vary, including Kenard Pak's graceful fireflies, Brendan Wenzel's bright peacock spiders, and Eric Fan's droll bowler-hatted, briefcase-toting worker bee. Ekua Holmes' portrait of herself as a brown-skinned young girl observing the busy ants in her ant farm joins Carle's humanoid butterfly-child on the cover and Carle himself disguised as a large and bearded Very Hungry Caterpillar (both the latter are white). Brief biographies introduce the artists; media and techniques aren't disclosed.A terrific prompt and conversation starter for young artists. (Picture book. 2-9)