Friday, August 8, 2014

The Bug Came Back - a book review


Quote of the day:

"There is wonder in reading Braille that the sighted will never know: to touch words and have them touch you back."
                                                                          -Jim Fiebig


Today's featured book:




Title:  The Bug Came Back
Author:  Stacie Morrell
Illustrator:  Elizabeth Berg


Let's take a peek inside shall we?





















My take on the book:

It is just another typical day for our adorable main character or is it?  She gets up and gets dressed, eats her breakfast and tries to carry on as usual but a pesky bug keeps interrupting and flying by almost landing in her eye.  It is bad enough the first time it happens,  but time and time again that pesky bug returns and tries to invade her private space.  Each time the little girl retaliates by swatting at it to make it go away and quit bothering her.  All would be fine for a time and then guess what?  Back it would come again buzzing by ...  I am sure just to annoy her.  What is a girl to do to get rid of of that pest forever?    

The illustrations are just wonderful.  They are big, bold and colourful with lots of action and emotion that truly drive the story.  The vocabulary is rich and gives lots of opportunity to discuss and learn new words.  The story, although simple, can truly be anyone's story so kids (and adults) can relate to it and discuss possibilities of becoming a bug exterminator.  This charming tale is filled with humour and is fun to read aloud.  



About the author:

Stacie Morrell is an eccentrically entertaining neurotic bibliophile and Renaissance woman. She is a fifth generation Oregonian and a third generation only child on her mother's side.

Her interests include: Reading (pretty much anything even the cereal box if nothing else is available), writing (all genres), family (wife and mother), growing in and spreading my faith, learning (information geek), travel (but I rarely ever get to), volunteering, bargain hunting at garage sales, thrift stores, flea markets, etc.
She sells collectibles, tries to have patience with her precocious daughter, fearlessly tries to do everything, and writes because she is driven to as part of genetic composition.




About the illustrator:


“There is a universal language that crosses all cultural borders. Held
within images are feelings, emotions that evoke, that prove our unity.”
–Elizabeth Berg
I grew up in a house filled with antique books and furniture. My mother was the great collector, my father a violinist.
Elizabeth BergMy first childhood delight was to pour through the old illustrations, full of life and history and wonder. Those ancient illustrations left a most powerful impression upon me as a child. They gave me an insatiable desire to make art and create beautiful images.
I won the first of several awards at age ten. I was recognized as a prodigy at about eleven years old and accepted into Chiounard Art School in California, as a ‘special student’. I’ve had several wonderful art teachers. After extensive art history study, I could not be restricted to a single style.
So, for many years I have taken the influence of the illustrators of old — and the art history from many cultures — and developed a number of very diverse expressions and styles of my own.
My work experience is as varied as my art. I have worked as an illustrator for several publications. As a freelance illustrator I have created everything from commercial advertising, package design, children’s book Illustrations, covers, and characters… to corporate logos and everything in-between.
As a visionary my mind provides endless links to endless trails of images and solutions to all manner of mauscript, from imaginative fantasy stories to poems and educational material.
As an artist, I am constantly producing new visions and new styles for myself or for my clients. I especially enjoy translating complex concepts into visual illustrations.
As an art teacher, I have a unique way of working with each of my students, as well as the inexperienced. My wish is to help them to know that art is in all of us and it is easy to access.
I think I am a good communicator. I hope that you will give me the opportunity to help you get to the heart of what you want or need.


Book review rating:  8 (Fantastic!)

                             Read on and read always!  Have an amazing day everyone.

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