Bug Catchers

by Megan Litwin, Shauna Lynn Panczyszyn (Illustrator)

Overview

A 2023 Cybils Award finalist

Meet Dirt and Bugsy—best buds who catch all kinds of bugs—in this fun early reader!

Dirt and Bugsy are neighbors, best friends, and bug catchers. They love bugs: Bugs that crawl. Bugs that fly. Bugs that slide. Bugs that hide. But when it begins to rain one day, their brains buzz with a plan: They will build a bug barn to keep the bugs dry! Together, they gather supplies and make a structure to shelter the insects from the storm.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593519912
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	02/28/2023
Series:	Dirt and Bugsy: Penguin Young Readers, L2
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.17(d)
Age Range:	6 - 7 Years

About the Author

Megan Litwin (she/her) is a former classroom teacher whose lifelong work is to grow lifelong readers. She holds a Master of Arts in Children's Literature from Simmons University and is the author of Dirt and Bugsy: Bug Catchers and the picture book Twinkle, Twinkle, Winter Night. Megan lives in Massachusetts with her family. Visit her online at www.meganlitwinbooks.com.

Shauna Lynn Panczyszyn (she/her) is a lettering artist and illustrator with a passion for espresso and figure skating. She is based in the Chicago area, where she works out of her home studio with her studio pup, Teddy Bear.

Editorial Reviews

"Bugs, friendship, and fun—what more could burgeoning readers want?" —Kirkus

"An excellent choice for nature lovers and newly independent readers due to its short, concise, and repetitive sentences." —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

2022-10-26
The titular characters collect and protect bugs in this early reader.

Against blocks of cartoonlike green grass and blue sky—with bugs hovering around them—two boys face readers with big smiles. Dirt has light skin and a head of floppy russet hair, while Bugsy has dark skin and an Afro. The text explains that “Dirt and Bugsy are bug catchers. They catch all kinds of bugs.” Bright islands of artwork against the next two white pages show nicely detailed drawings of bugs that “crawl,” “fly,” “slide,” or “hide.” Rudimentary sentences and phrases, subtle rhymes, and repetitive language encourage hesitant readers to stay engaged as a simple plot emerges. The boys are enjoying outdoor time with bugs when it begins to rain. They build a shelter—“a bug barn”—and diligently search for, seize, and house hiding bugs. The story’s conclusion is satisfactory in every way—no small feat in this genre. A welcome endnote, artistically rendered to look handwritten on lined paper, advises kids on how to be responsible bug catchers (“Find a good bug-catching jar”; “Go outside. Look around in good buggy places…”)—and bug releasers.

Bugs, friendship, and fun—what more could burgeoning readers want? (Early reader. 5-7)

Kirkus Reviews