FACE BUG

FACE BUG

by J. Patrick Lewis

Photographs by Frederic B. Siskind

Illustrations by Kelly Murphy

Image credit: www.amazon.com

Bibliography

Lewis, J. Patrick. 2013. Face Bug. Honesdale, PA: WordSong. ISBN 9781590789254

Critical Analysis and Review

From award-winning poet J. Patrick Lewis, this themed collection of insect poems has an amusing premise.  The whole book is designed to be a visit to a museum for bugs in which all of the exhibits are close-up portraits of bugs.  The opening poem titled "Grand Opening: The Face Bug Museum" sets the scene as it says "Our Smithsonian--from Dragon-, Horse-, and Butterfly to Bee--/ Is a hoppin', bug eye-poppin' photo show."  Kelly Murphy's ink and graphite illustrations show the bugs as they move through the museum viewing each exhibit.  Frederic B. Siskind's outstanding zoomed-in photography of a bug face is the focal point of each page.  Then, Lewis's poem about the bug pictured is on the facing page.  

Lewis's poetry usually consists of three to four stanzas of humorous rhymes.  He utilizes line breaks and creative spacing to make the poems visually appealing on the page.  Lewis uses metaphor comparing the Hickory Horned Devil to "Mother Nature's Frankenstein." Some of his poems have a surprise ending like in "Bush Katydid" which ends with the line "To sunlight, I'm a magnet/ To windshields, I'm a... splat!"

Spotlight Poem

EASTERN DOBSONFLY

Corydalus cornutus

by J. Patrick Lewis

I love you, Mr. Dobsonfly.

Why?

           Because of your huge mandible!

           (Understandable)

           Because your life is mostly larval.

           (A river marvel)

           Because of those bucktooth incisors.

           (Your hypnotizers)

           Because you live the life aquatic.

           (How exotic!)
            And

            There's 

            Another

            Reason

            Why--

                           Because I'm Mrs. Dobsonfly.

This poem exemplifies the work of J. Patrick Lewis in this collection because it is full of content-based vocabulary, it has excellent rhythm, and a twist at the end!  I absolutely adore the unique rhyming words in this poem - mandible/understandable and incisors/hypnotizers.  These words are so much fun to say and hear.

I would introduce this poem to second graders, because they complete an extensive insect study each year.  After reading, we would discuss all the different aspects Mrs. Dobsonfly loves about her husband.  Then, I would challenge the students to write their own "love" poem about one of the insects that they are studying from the point of view of his or her wife or husband.  The second graders observe mealworms so one might begin with a poem with "I love you, Mr. Mealworm" and continue to describe the irresistible traits of a mealworm.