Crickwing

Crickwing is a cockroach who is grumpy because a toad have him a crooked wing and it aches. Crickwing likes to play with his food before eating it, but several nights in a row, his meal is stolen from him by large critters like lizards or monkeys before he gets a chance to dig in. Crickwing vents his frustration by torturing leaf cutter ants, but he gets in deep trouble, finding himself elected by the leaf cutter ants as the peace offering for the army ants. The story has a number of points that some kids, especially young ones, may find rather scary. But other kids may enjoy the tension. At the end of the story are some feature articles that provide more factual information about cockroaches and ants. The book has about 1600 words.

Another gem from Janell Cannon. More beautiful illustrations. This author is gifted enough to get us to fall in love with a cockroach! A great story with many life lessons tucked in along the way. I highly recommend it!

Children's literature lovers have long loved Stellaluna. Many elementary school teachers use it when they study bats at Halloween. But how unlikely is it to find that not only bats, and then a snake (Verdi), but now a cockroach is a children's book hero? One could not dislike Crickwing. He is handicapped by a broken and painful wing injury, and thus goes his way alone. He entertains himself by making sculptures of his food. After several difficult experiences with predators, Crickwing becomes perverse enough to torment the industrious ants he observes around him. Although their queen has the ants gang up on him, they prove to be his salvation, first by stretching out and repositioning his damaged wing, and then by becoming his friends. Crickwing is a true hero when he sculptures an anteater to scare away the army ants from his new friends, the ants. The iluustrations are lovely as ever. Don't miss this one.

Poor Crickwing, teased and belittled by the other cockroaches because of his broken, crooked wing, leads a lonely, solitary existence creating food sculptures out of leaves, roots and petals and then eating them. Unfortunately, he's a target for larger cockroach eating creatures, like monkeys and lizards who steal his food and leave him hungry, frightened and shaking. One morning Crickwing sees tiny leafcutter ants hard at work and in his frustration begins to bully and torment them. After a few mishaps, the ants band together, swarm and carry him off to their queen to be punished. She decides to give him to the army ants as the annual peace offering. But on the way to the army ant camp, the leafcutters have a change of heart. Nobody, not even a cockroach bully deserves this fate and they let him go. Because of their kindness, Crickwing has an attack of conscience and decides to help save them from the army ant's wrath. He devises an ingenious plan and with the leafcutter's help sends those horrible, mean army ants packing, forever...... It's hard to believe that a cockroach can be lovable and sympathetic, but award winning author and illustrator, Janell Cannon has done the impossible. Her gentle, sensitive text, with its themes of brotherhood and compassion, is only outdone by her vivid, larger than life artwork and youngsters will be fascinated by the detail in the insect drawings. Notes and fun facts about ants and cockroaches are included at the end of the story and can easily be used to expand insect lessons and discussions. For everyone who loved Stellaluna and Verdi, Crickwing is a wonderful addition to the series and a story kids 4-8 will want to read again and again.

Janell Cannon has a gift for making the creepy critters lovable. In "Stellaluna" she made us identify with a lost bat; in "Verdi" she made us cheer for a snake who learns to shed his skin; but now she tackles the impossible: cockroaches!Crickwing (so named because of a twisted wing) is a lonely cockroach. He spends his days as a "food-stylist", crafting sculptures of his food before eating them. But he and his sculptures are easy prey to lizards and other roach-eating critters. Tired of being a victem, he decides he is going to pick on some smaller targets: ants! But the leaf-eating ants are not as harmless as they seem and they swarm Crickwing when his shenanigans go too far. Crickwing is not really the bully he seems, and when danger threatens both the ants and him, he becomes an unlikely hero! Vibrant and just as engaging as her previous books, though this one is more of a cheeky fable then fantasy. "Crickwing" just might make you think twice before stepping on a cockroach! A terrific companion piece for the award-winning author.