Arthropoda Poesy: Hey There, Stinkbug by Leslie Bulion

Summertime is bugtime! Some, like fireflies and butterflies, have their charms. Some, like wasps and spiders, have their purpose, and some, like stinkbugs--nobody loves 'em, nobody wants 'em. They're better left all on their lonesome!

I think you're lost,
'cause you're walking up my arm,
But I won't tease you,
Wouldn't dare squeeze you--
Please don't trigger
Your stink alarm.

And then, there's the bombadier beetle, a most regrettable, hopefully soon forgettable creature, not glad to meet ya!

Bombadier, bombadier, bombadier beetle,
Slow on the wing, but fast on his feetle.
Blasting poor predators into retreatle,
With pure boiling hot acid it aims from its seatle.

And even those fabulous fireflies, on summer nights so delightful--when you get to know them better, they're a perfectly frightful! The poor blinkin' firefly boys are sometimes blinded by the light!

He'll fly and he'll flash and he'll wait for an answer.
From a FLASH Gal that's eager to meet him.
And up close she's likely to eat him!

For middle readers who may tend to eschew entomology, Leslie Bulion's jolly lessons on common arthropoda are great fun for summer reading that beg to be read aloud. In her twenty chapters author Bulion and artist Leslie Evans provide some delightful graphics, done by the illustrator in linoleum prints of her creepy crawly subjects Along with her highly humorous poesy, the author packs plenty of information into her Hey There, Stink Bug! (Charlesbridge Publishing), including a glossary and bibliography of books and websites, and for poetry fanciers, also appends fascinating descriptions of the various and offbeat poetic forms used in her poetic descriptions.