First Day at Bug School

The covers delight, with a multitude of attentive bugs seated for registration before the teacher, Miss Bumblebee, in red stilettoes, a flower upon her head. There are so many different bugs, each portraying bucket loads of character, two pairs of bugs already besotted with each other! ‘At the bottom of the garden/ where no-one really sees,/a secret school is hidden amongst the grass and weeds.’ Listen… can you hear it? A tiny school bell rings…  What a greeting they receive from Miss Bumblebee, who tells them they need not be scared or shy, for they will have the best time ever! Off they go to different classes, the spiders being taught to creep about, and beware of water spouts, the ladybirds counting spots, the grasshoppers creating music. Every spread is packed with details, and after lunch all the bugs go out to play. There’s a buddy bench and things to climb and slide on, and Miss Bumblebee watches them all, noting on her clipboard that William Wasp is to lose his golden time for throwing sand, whilst Lucy Ladybird gains it by being kind. Freddie Flea loves P.E. in the gymnasium, the perfect class for him. Turn the penultimate page to story time, read all the notices around the room, including one for healthy snacks and naughty snacks, then it’s time to say bye-bye. ‘Can we come again tomorrow?’ shouts everyone. This book will enchant any small reader who has just started school, as they recognise so many features of their new environment, as well as intriguing children who have been in school for some time. The amount of humour and detail in the illustrations throughout will delight all.