In this gorgeous 96-page picture book for children and adults alike, Mélanie Watt (Scaredy Squirrel) follows a googly-eyed housefly on its looping path, straight into the maw of a vacuum cleaner. As the imprisoned bug contemplates its fate, it churns through the five stages of grief: denial, bargaining, anger, despair and acceptance.
"It was on top of the world when it happened. Its entire life changed with the switch of a button." Stage One is denial, and an aerosol can labeled "FINE AND DANDY DENIAL: WIPES OUT THE UGLY TRUTH" marks the first of the book's five chapters. "This is amazing!" says the fly-in-denial, surrounded by lint and the random Cheerio. A parallel plot tracks the family dachshund, Napoleon, who thinks the trapped fly's loud cries are those of his lost toy, also sucked up. As the fly confronts the next four stages of grief, so does Napoleon, in amusingly obvious thought-bubble hieroglyphics. In the fifth and final stage, "Acceptance," the fly vows to make the best of things and appreciate what it has. "Thanks for lending an ear, pal," it sighs, snuggling sleepily with the dog's toy. Is there light at the end of the vacuum-bag tunnel for both fly and toy?
The softly textured, earth-toned illustrations are both comical and visually arresting, capturing not only the wild, wooly world of a vacuum bag, but the hula-girl lamps and fuzzy toilet-seat covers of a midcentury-modern household. The abundant hilarious details throughout offer young eyes plenty to discover in repeat reads... if they can pry the book from the hands of nearby adults. --Jessica Bushore, former public librarian and freelance writer