'Du Iz Tak?' By Carson Elli

We went to a Renaissance Festival over the weekend and won a prize at one of the games. The woman working the game gave my son a choice of prizes. He opted for what appeared to be the worst prize on the table, a tiny rubber fly which he absolutely cherished. Clearly our fascination with bugs is still going strong so I couldn't wait to get my hands on 'Du Iz Tak?' By Carson Ellis for him. It was also pretty perfect to have after the fair since the illustrations have a sort of Renaissance vibe.

'Du Iz Tak?' is a book written in bug language. You have to invent what the bugs are saying based on the illustrations so if your family is into wordless picture books, this one should be right up your alley. In the book, two bugs come upon a new plant just beginning to grow. As the plant gets bigger, a group of young bugs decides to build a pretty awesome fort in it which is almost completely destroyed by a huge spider. However another unexpected force of nature swoops in and saves their fort. We watch the plant bloom and the celebration that event brings. When finally, the plant prepares for winter. The bugs disappear for a short time, only to return with spring, mimicking the first pages of the book. This time there are even more young plants on the ground beginning to grow. This is a gorgeously creative book to show the cyclical nature of life. It is beautifully done and super unique!