“Striped beetles, spotted beetles, all-over-dotted beetles . . . . chewing beetles, sawing beetles, noisily gnawing beetles.” Denise Fleming’s whimsical walk through the world of beetles is a dancing, dizzying narrative with bouncy rhythm, playful rhymes, and ample alliteration. Fleming’s deeply hued, richly textured illustrations, created from hand-cut stencils and colored cotton fibers, brim with bugs as they showcase beetles of many stripes (and solids, too, not to mention those spots and dots), and also an occasional skunk, frog, human, or other creature. Very brief information about the six-legged bugs is provided at the conclusion of a beetle extravaganza. (Ages 2–5)