Bug Blonsky and His Very Long List of Don'ts

by E.S. Redmond

Overview

Follow one rip-roarious day in the life of an antsy (if lovable) boy named Bug, guided by E. S. Redmond’s humor and wit.

If seven-year-old Benjamin (aka Bug) Blonsky were a superhero, he’d be “Bug Boy with the Power to Annoy.” That’s what his big sister says. Mom says he’s wiggly and can’t sit still. Dad says he’s easily distracted. On this day, Bug’s “choices” — drawing pictures of pig roller coasters during math time, making armpit noises when his teacher bends over — have landed him in a heap of trouble, so now he’s writing a list of what not to do: his list of don’ts. Such as: don’t be late for the bus (you’ll have to sit with know-it-all Abner), don’t trade a cookie for a flaxseed muffin (it won't taste like cotton candy), don’t be nice to Peggy Pinkerton (she’ll want to kiss you), and whatever happens, don’t tell Mom! Bug’s list is very long, but will it help him stay out of trouble? Don’t count on it!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763689353
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	01/02/2018
Pages:	80
Sales rank:	906,481
Product dimensions:	6.70(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

E. S. Redmond is the author-illustrator of Felicity Floo Visits the Zoo, a Wanda Gág Read Aloud Book Award winner, and The Unruly Queen. She lives in Massachusetts with her family.

Editorial Reviews

10/30/2017
Benjamin “Bug” Blonsky, an impulsive seven-year-old who “spend a lot of time in the quiet chair thinking about my choices,” stars in this mischief-stuffed early reader. Bug’s more than 20 rules of things to avoid (“#13 Don’t ask Principal Sternsly if she was pretty when she was young”) frame his school day as it unfolds, and his reader-directed second-person narration turns his story into an extended cautionary tale. Redmond’s ink-and-watercolor illustrations (seen in b&w) feature jug-eared, freckle-faced kids and adults with saggy, caricatured bodies, underscoring humor that often revolves around farts and bad smells; Bug’s teacher, Ms. Munster, is seen bending over when a classmate tricks him into asking her, “Is Uranus the biggest?” Some adults may find the jokes distasteful, but kids will know that Redmond is on their side. Ages 6–9. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

01/01/2018
Gr 1–3—Seven-year-old Benjamin, who proudly goes by the nickname Bug, launches this first-person early chapter book from the "quiet chair" where he spends a lot of time "thinking about his choices." This time, he is composing a list of "Don'ts to help me remember what not to do." Each rule gets its own short chapter and there are 21 rules in all, beginning with "#1 DON'T spray whipped cream into your mouth for breakfast" and ending with "#21 DON'T tell Mom what's going on." Each chapter starts with the phrase "Because if you do," and goes on to explain why doing this specific thing causes trouble. The incidents are cumulative, one leading to the next, bringing the situation full circle as the events of the day land Bug in the quiet chair writing his list. Large font combined with detailed cartoon-style illustrations on every page will keep newer chapter book readers confident and engaged. The full-color artwork capitalizes on and exaggerates the jokes in the text to make them extra silly. VERDICT Using slapstick humor in both its words and art, this early chapter book will appeal to new readers who enjoy a little trouble and irreverence in their stories.—Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MA

School Library Journal

2017-09-26
Some humor writers have a rule of thumb: always make the jokes funnier than they need to be. This book is much funnier than it needs to be.When Bug Blonsky goes skateboarding, he doesn't just let a dog ride on the board with him. There's also a very alarmed-looking frog at the front of the board, sitting in a bowl of cereal to keep damp. "Bug" got his nickname because he's "super wiggly and never sit[s] still" or—according to his sister—because he's "super annoying." He's proud of his superpower and pictures himself in a superhero outfit with bug-eye goggles and four arms. A lot of authors and illustrators would have left off there (the drawing is quite funny), but Redmond tops the joke by listing all Bug's abilities ("Two sets of armpits for twice as many fart sounds"). The book is almost entirely a collection of jokes. The plot can be summed up in seven words: Bug gets in trouble, over and over. The pictures often improve the jokes; they're unpolished but effective. They almost resemble characters from graffiti art, like a much more detailed version of "Kilroy was here." The cast is a largely white one, though Bug's best friend, Louie, is black.If the story feels episodic and unresolved, the jokes work, and most of the time, they work twice as well as necessary. (Fiction. 6-9)

Kirkus Reviews

Some humor writers have a rule of thumb: always make the jokes funnier than they need to be... the jokes work, and most of the time, they work twice as well as necessary.
—Kirkus Reviews

Benjamin “Bug” Blonsky, an impulsive seven-year-old who “spend[s] a lot of time in the quiet chair thinking about my choices,” stars in this mischief-stuffed early reader...kids will know that Redmond is on their side.
—Publishers Weekly

The black and white cartoonish art lends plenty of visual humor: the titles of the books on Bug’s teacher’s desk include “The Joyless Classroom,” and Bug’s waste-of-math-time pigs make several appearances. Plentiful illustrations, stealthy repetition, and the appeal of the class clown make this a quick pick for the early reader set.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Large font combined with detailed cartoon-style illustrations on every page will keep newer chapter book readers confident and engaged. The full-color artwork capitalizes on and exaggerates the jokes in the text to make them extra silly. Using slapstick humor in both its words and art, this early chapter book will appeal to new readers who enjoy a little trouble and irreverence in their stories.
—School Library Journal

Bug’s antics are believable and will ring true, making this a good choice for fans of Dav Pilkey’s Captain Underpants series.
—Booklist Online

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