The Gentleman Bug's second review

From Booklist:


Gentleman Bug is a bookish sort. The bachelor ladybug spends his days teaching pupils and reading books, and he doesn’t care one whit that the pompous peerage of the Garden (a bug-size facsimile of Victorian-era London) make fun of him for doing so. Then Lady Bug comes to town, and Gentleman Bug decides that he needs a dapper new look to get her attention. The results of his makeover are predictably disastrous, but in a subtle, Cinderella-like twist to the story, Lady Bug discovers that the two insects are kindred spirits after all. Composed as panels against airy, white backgrounds, Hector’s crisp, utterly charming watercolor-and-colored-pencil illustrations have a classic, timeless feel, and the spectacularly detailed scenes, which demand close-up viewing, do the bulk of the storytelling. In comparison, the book’s brief text feels a bit ancillary; but that won’t stop young children from poring over Hector’s enchanting, wee world and appreciating the story’s straightforward, feel-good themes.

— Kristen McKulski

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