The Little Squeegy Bug

by Bill Martin Jr, Patrick Corrigan (Illustrator), Michael Sampson

Overview

Once upon a time there was a little squeegy bug. No one knew where he came from. He wasn’t an ant. He wasn’t a cricket. And he certainly wasn’t a flea. What was he? Follow along with lovable bug that tries to discover his true identity.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761452430
Publisher:	Amazon Publishing
Publication date:	01/05/2012
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	11.30(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.20(d)
Lexile:	470L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Author Bill Martin, Jr. originally wrote The Little Squeegy Bug, his first book, while serving as an Air Force sergeant in World War II. It was illustrated by his brother Bernard and sold over one million copies after Eleanor Roosevelt wrote about it in her syndicated news column “My Day.” Martin’s other titles include Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do You See?, Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?, and several other book collaborations, among them Chicken Chuck and Chicka, Chicka 1, 2, 3.

Author Michael Sampson met Bill Martin Jr in 1977. He established a lifelong friendship with Bill, who ultimately became his mentor and colleague. By 2004, Michael had published twenty-nine children’s books, including Swish and I Pledge Allegiance, both coauthored with Bill Martin Jr. He lives in Campbell, Texas.

Editorial Reviews

Primary-grade teachers will find this useful for units on bugs.” —Booklist

From the Publisher

In the style of a pourquoi tale, the authors have crafted an explanation about how fireflies came to be. The one-of-a-kind squeegy bug knows he isn't an ant, cricket, or flea. In fact, he doesn't know what to call himself. When he meets Buzzer the Bumblebee, who has a stinger in his tail, the squeegy bug decides he would like to be a bee, too. He follows Buzzer's advice and climbs toward the sky looking for a pair of silver wings like Buzzer's. Caught in a rainstorm at the top of a cattail, he seeks help from the kindly caterpillar. The two travel to Haunchy the spider's castle of webs to ask for a pair of wings, which he shapes from threads spun on his spinning wheel. It is Haunchy who points out that the bug isn't a bumblebee and wasn't meant to have a stinger. He pulls the brightest star from the sky, hangs it on the bug's tail, and christens him Squeegy the Firefly, the Lamplighter of the Sky. Originally written when he was an Air Force Sergeant at the end of WWII, Martin's (Rock It, Sock It, Number Line, p. 1128, etc.) illustrator was his brother Bernard. In this reissue, Corrigan's illustrations are marvelously detailed, from Haunchy's elaborate turban and king's robe, to the acorn lantern of the top-hat-wearing caterpillar. Illustrations aside, it is plain that this was written before Martin really hit his stride with his perfectly cadenced rhymes. However, there will always be an audience for a new Bill Martin Jr., and this one fills the bill. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews