BOOKS

Babak the Beetle

by Fred PARONUZZI
illus. by Andree Prigent. 32p. NorthSouth. May 2016. Tr $17.95. ISBN 9780735842519.
COPY ISBN
K-Gr 2—In a story that will initially sound familiar to readers of P.D. Eastman's Are You My Mother??, Babak the beetle sets out to find the parent who has lost an egg. The repetitive tale continuously builds questions as Babak asks the animals in the forest if the egg belongs to them. Prigent has produced a couple of multihued pages amid the drab palette of paper bag tan, teal blue, and black. The small typeface has a typewritten appearance. Happily, the conclusion will bring a surprise to children and adults alike.
VERDICT A supplemental tale that could best be augmented using flannel board pieces in a storytime for primary grade youngsters.
Reviewed by Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA
After dung beetle Babak discovers a strange white "egg," he searches for its owner: "an egg needs to be sat on!" He decides to keep it after he spots the egg's "parents" (adult humans): they're "armed with long sticks" (golf clubs) and "hitting the eggs...through the air!" Fine-spun woodcutlike art amplifies the underlying humanity in this French import's perfectly executed gag.
 , Sep 01, 2016

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