The Girl Who Loves Bugs

Per an end note, Murray and Løvlie model their insect-loving protagonist on British entomologist Evelyn Cheesman (1881–1969) in this rhyming festival of buggy biodiversity. Pale-skinned young Evie brings an array of insects to the family picnic blanket, and when her parents, portrayed with differing skin tones, say it’s time to clean house in preparation for visiting family, she decides to tote her catches home as well (“There are ants in her drawers/ and weevils in socks,/ a family of pill bugs/ under the clock”). Predictably, the creepy-crawlies fail to stay put, and when extended family arrives the following day, the subsequent meal is disrupted by uninvited guests. Fortunately, catastrophe is averted when Evie finds an unexpected ally ready to encourage her “curious mind.” Pastel hues gentles digital renderings, in which delicately drawn critters, many shown with googly eyes, amplify the exaggerated silliness of the plot in this earnest portrait of entomophilia. Back matter includes bug-related activities and a capsule biography of Cheesman. Ages 4–8. (Feb.)