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Poppy loves bugs, and can usually be found carrying on conversations with ladybirds or sitting outside among the brightly coloured wildflowers ... but good luck spotting her indoors and around people! She's a master of camouflage, always finding a way to blend into her surroundings.
But when a very special bug lands on her grandma's birthday cake, Poppy can't resist popping out to see it. Soon the rest of the guests notice the beautiful dragonfly, and Poppy too. Maybe it's OK to stand out sometimes, just like the vibrant wildflowers and shimmering insects Poppy loves.
This poetic and evocative story celebrates the shy and introverted kids among us, as well as the other small creatures to be found if we look closely enough.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Awards
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Release date
March 18, 2021 -
Formats
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781526628572
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Starred review from December 16, 2019
Poppy Ann Fields has a wonderful rapport with bugs. She’s a connoisseur of spiderwebs and “cicadas’ newest symphony,” Theule (Born to Ride) writes, and she can coax a pill bug out of its shell. Mixing with other human beings in their habitat is another story: Poppy does her best to disappear in every setting, whether it’s blending in with wallpaper stripes or hiding in the branches of a miniature orange tree. It looks like the big 100th picnic birthday party for Grandma Phyllis will be no exception—though from the sidelines, beneath papel picado banners, the ever-observant child notices how the guests “looked like colorful leaves falling/ into/ each other,/ then/ drifting/ apart.” When a dragonfly alights on Poppy’s hand (“The scientific name is Anisoptera,” Poppy tells everyone “softly, but clearly”), the crowd realizes she has a special connection with the natural world, and for the first time, Poppy’s patience, focus, and willingness to embrace stillness count for something among her relations. “You wildflower, you,” Grandma Phyllis says, giving her a big hug. Palacios (Between Us and Abuela) echoes the tenderness of the narration with a palette reminiscent of old-fashioned botanical prints: aqueous blues, warm reds, and warm, grassy greens. A glossary of “bug friends” concludes. Ages 3–6.
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