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Rick's Books |
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Hardcover
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Blurb:
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There are bugs in your carpet
and bugs in your hair. There are millions and billions of bugs everywhere. They will eat up your trees, They will dig up your lawn. You can squash all you can, but they'll never be gone. They will dive in your food. They will hide in your bed. You will never get rid of your bugs. So instead-- Ask them kindly not to bite. Do not wash them from your hair. Let them know you'll treat them right. Learn to love them. Show you care. You might as well-- They're everywhere. |
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Reviews:
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"a hilarious book for young readers." --
Simi Valley Star
, Jul. 6, 1995, also
Oshkosh Northwestern
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"poems to drive you buggy and delight youngsters"-- World News Features . "a laugh-out-loud collection by Rick Walton, with wacky illustrations by Nancy Carlson." -- The Scoop , Spring 95. "A delightful selection of bug poems. Walton has skillfully blended factual information, creative use of language, and a sharp sense of humor to create a book on a popular topic. Carlson's humorous and colorful illustrations, done with marker on watercolor paper, vividly enhance the poems. Anthony, age 8, commented, 'The poems give good information about insects in a fun way.'" -- Children's Books , p. 155. "Humorous poems accompanied by bold, comical illustrations." --Disney's Family.Com Childsplay , 1996. "A humorous collection of poems about bugs, slugs and other creepy, crawly things sure to get a laugh from the 4 to 8 year old crowd (who seem to have a thing for bugs at this age). The colorful child-like insect drawings are a perfect accompaniment to this silly approach to insect shenanigans. A creative way to get kids started on writing their own poems and increasing their observations of the insect world." --Meredith E. Kiger, for Children's Literature . | |
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Dedication:
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To Nicholas Stephen Walton, who's cuter than a bug. | |
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Author Bio:
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Mr. Walton lives in Provo, Utah, with his wife, three young sons, and about a billion bugs. | |
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Rick's Notes:
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I have a love/hate relationship with bugs. I think they're cute, and interesting, but lots of them are
annoying. I don't like bugs that stinks or bites, like mosquitoes. I don't like bugs that hover around you,
buzzing in your ears and flying in your eyes, like gnats and flies. And I don't like bugs that eat the fruit
off my trees.
I've been tempted to get some pet bats. A bat can eat upwards of 1,000 bugs an hour. So far I haven't been able to talk the rest of the family into it. My son Patrick is allergic to mosquitoes. At least he was as a toddler. When he was about three he got five mosquito bites on his leg. His leg swelled up to twice its size and we had to take him to a hospital. We were on vacation at the time. For a couple of days there we weren't enjoying our vacation. The poem "Billions of Bugs" was inspired by a show I saw on all the bugs that live in your carpet, and your hair, even under your eyelids. Really ugly bugs. Bugs that make our nightmares of alien invaders look tame by comparison. Bugs that are impossible to get rid of, but that really don't hurt you. I realized that some bugs you just have to learn to live with. Our house is about fifty years old. Spiders like it. At first I made a deal with the spiders. They eat lots of other annoying insects, like flies, gnats and mosquitoes, and leave us alone otherwise, and I'd let them live in our house. Unfortunately they didn't live up to the bargain. A couple of the spiders thought we tasted as good as the flies. Since then I've been getting rid of any spiders I could find too. I have chewed bugs. Not on purpose. When I was in Brazil I once woke up in the middle of the night with a cockroach on my face. We do have a bug zapper, and I do love it when I hear those little bugs fry. "The Early Worm" is the oldest poem in the book. I wrote it when I was a college student and not fond of getting up for early morning classes. |
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Rick answers questions about When a Bug Climbs In Your Mouth
Curriculum suggestions:
: Ways to use When a Bug Climbs In Your Mouth in your classroom, ideas for enrichment, and just general fun activities.
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