Bug Off!: A Story of Fireflies and Friendship by Cari Best, Jennifer Plecas
on June 25th 2019
ISBN: 0374380627
Pages: 32
Goodreads

Let’s take a vote. How many of us think fireflies are bugs? Well…they are beetles, and beetles ARE insects, and bugs are insects, but fireflies and bugs are two different classes of insects. Confusing? It is to Maude, a newcomer in the neighborhood. She’s trying to make friends, and when she sees a poster advertising the Bug-of-the-Month Club, she thinks it’s the perfect way to meet other children and share her new passion for fireflies. However, it’s not at all confusing to club leader Louise, who rejects Maude’s bid for membership based on the fact that fireflies are NOT bugs!

The text weaves in basic information about bugs and lots of information about fireflies and how to create a firefly-friendly environment. It’s not preachy or dry – just the right balance to inform and entertain. The cartoonish, full color illustrations show mostly night scenes with the contrasting bright yellow fireflies and proportionately large white eyes of the children.

This book could be used to initiate a study of animal kingdom orders and classifications, but probably more useful as a how-to-be-a-friend’ story. Now, could we have a discussion about the terms firefly vs lightening bug?

Reviewed by Lynn Mayer, Librarian, Old Town Elementary School, Old Town.