Cockroaches are cute!!!! Well at least Crickwing is!
Written: Jun 07 '02
Product Rating:
Pros: teaches valuable lessons
Cons: its about a cockroach
The Bottom Line: A rare event, Crickwing is a book for which I can find not one nitpicking negative. All in all, the story and illustrations combine for an excellent and memorable tale.
If you have ever shared a residence with a cockroach you realize that these are not adorable animals. They are not something that most people would wish to make friends with.
If you are anything like me your first instinct would be to squish first and ask questions later.
While I no longer cohabitate with these creatures I have not been able to let go of the immidate revulsion they inspire.
Crickwing by Janell Cannon (creator of the infamous Stellaluna) may just be a first step in my conversion to an appreciator (from way afar) of this species.
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The story
Narrowly escaping with his life, an encounter with a toad has left a poor cockroach with a prominant "scar". One of his delicate wings has been twisted, inspiring other to call him Crickwing.
Despising his nickname, and often in pain, he gathers his food alone in the darkest hours and finds comfort in arranging the bits of foods he finds into lovely sculptures before devouring them.
Three nights in a row find Crickwing just about to dine when a predator steals his meal causing him to run off hungry and with a throbbing wing.
It is this third event where something snaps in Crickwing. He comes across some leaf-cutter ants and finds delight in his ability to torment them. He finally has someone smaller and more helpless than he is, the tides have turned, roles have reversed, and for a time he basks in his "power".
Tired of being tormented, and under orders from their queen, the ants team up and drag Crickwing into their hill-home and imprision him by burying him up to his neck. The decision is made to turn him over to a group of enemy ants but at the last moment the ants entrusted with his sacrafice take pity on him and allow him to escape.
However, Crickwing realizes that despite his creulty that these ants have still treated him with kindess and compassion and he uses his skills to formulate a plan to scare off the approaching enemy.
When his plan is a success, he wins not only the praise of the colony, but new friends and a new home.
The illustrations
Pages of text alternate with full page brilliant illustrations.
There is a rich depth to these pictures. The colors are earthy and vibrant with shades of gold, bright blues, and jewel tones.
Pictures are drawn with detail so as to show the fine veins in Crickwing's wing, the texture of a white radish's skin, the scales of a lizard, the apparent 100s of leaves used in his colony saving creation.
Additionally, the text areas are accents with black and white, ink style drawings which further elaborate on the tale.
Together these elements created a believable fantasy world. Where insects have conversations, and a cockroach can be a master of "edible artwork".
Lessons learned
-- that while sometimes we may have a good reason for treating others poorly (we're scared, we're angry, we're sick) that it doesn't give us the right to
-- that it is better to treat someone with kindness even in the face of creulty
-- that by using our minds, our creativity, you can find solutions to your problems
-- that friends can come in all shapes and sizes
Educational value
After the close of the story Ms Cannon gives kids notes on both cockroaches and ants.
We learn that there are close to 4000 species of Cockroaches, and that only 1% of these species worldwide are considered pests. The rest spend their time eating leaves and such, their waste nourishing the soil. Some even help pollinate flowers.
We learn that there are well over 8000 species of ants. More specifically, we learn that leaf-cutter ants can move 80,000 pounds of earth when building their home. And that all the ants in their colony work to farm fungus, their food.
AND MORE.
Overall
If you had told me that I would love a book about a cockroach I would've called you crazy. But, somehow Crickwing has slipped under the wire.
It is hard to want to squish an bug who can create a mouse out of a radish, berries, leaves and twigs.
It is easy to find yourself reflected in his behavior. In pain and picked on he finds himself finally lashing out, how often have any of us found ourselves doing something similar at one time or another.
This is a great book which not only teaches kids some interesting facts about 2 common and populous members of the insect kingdom but walks them through the experiences of the bully and the bullied.
Crickwing never set out to be a bully--he wanted only to create his art in peace. But the little cockroach is an easy target for the bigger creatures ...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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