The Very Clumsy Click Beetle

September 13, 1999
At once stark and sophisticated, Carle's trademark collage art fills the pages of his latest Very volume (The Very Quiet Cricket; The Very Lonely Firefly). The author's opening note explains that the persevering click beetle often lands on its back and is unable to right itself. By stretching, it releases a snap mechanism that makes an audible click and flips the beetle into the air, after which it lands on its feet--sometimes. Coached by a wise old click beetle and encouraged by a string of supportive animals ("Better luck next time.... Keep on trying"), Carle's stylized little beetle repeatedly attempts to maneuver himself off his back and onto his feet. The book's never-give-up message registers loud and clear, unlike the "Click" sound that youngsters may well expect each time this word appears as the beetle hurls himself back into the air. Rather, the computer chip (which has a replaceable battery) activates only once--to emit six clicks, during the beetle's climactic triple-somersault. (But if the reader flips the pages quickly, instead of turning them ceremoniously, unwanted clicks clack out.) Ultimately, the gimmick distracts from the story and does not enhance it. All ages.

November 1, 1999
Pres-Gr 2-Carle's charming little hero gets stuck on its back and can't get up. An elder click beetle advises the youngster how to right itself, but it can't quite get the hang of flipping itself over on its legs. Encouraged to keep trying by a turtle, a snail, a worm, and a mouse, the small creature becomes more and more discouraged as it keeps landing on its back. When a curious boy starts investigating, the beetle becomes frightened and finally executes the perfect click and flip to land on its feet. The book features a clicking sound effect at the end, courtesy of a strategically placed microchip. Done in colored tissue-paper collage, the illustrations burst from the pages and are charmingly rendered. When the boy is introduced, readers see him from the beetle's perspective, as just two huge feet. Sure to be loved and requested again and again, Click Beetle is a well-crafted story, joyfully illustrated, that speaks to the hearts of young children.-Jane Claes, Texas Woman's University, Denton

Copyright 1999 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 1999
Ages 2^-6. This winning addition to Carle's ouevre stars a clumsy click beetle, an insect whose distinctive locomotion is explained in an opening note: when it falls on its back, a click beetle cannot roll over. Instead, it stretches, clicks, and then flips through the air. After being shown how to land on its feet by a wise mentor, this young beetle is ready to strut its stuff. But as an earthworm, turtle, snail, and mouse saunter by, the beetle can land only on its back. The threat of a young boy's outstretched palm finally motivates the bug to get going. All of Carle's "Very Special" books feature some added sensory feature. Here, the microchip that replicates the insect's noise is a well-placed surprise. Carle's trademark artwork, featuring large, colorful collages set against expansive white space, is--as always--a strong attribute. Although Carle treads familiar territory here, preschoolers won't mind; they'll relate to the protagonist's cry of "Look at me!" and the final acknowledgment, "You have done it!" ((Reviewed October 1, 1999))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1999, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2000
After landing on its back, a young click beetle tries to learn how to flip over, scolding itself for its clumsiness every time it fails. Urged on by other animals, it succeeds at last, just in time to avoid an approaching human. Carle's vivid textured collages accompany the story. A battery-powered electronic chip makes the beetle's clicking noise when the last page is turned--an amusing but non-essential gimmick.

(Copyright 2000 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)