Describing this book as crappy is actually a huge compliment!
Bardoe, Cheryl. Behold the Beautiful Dung Beetle. Illus Alan Marks. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge, 2014. Print.
Genre: nonfiction picture book
Critique: Bardoe unapologetically deals with dung and the beetles that shape their existence around it. The opening spread displays a massive dung pile in the foreground. Farther away is the mighty rump of an elephant, strolling away. There’s not point in skirting the issue. This book is about dung. Feces. Poop. But that doesn’t mean it’s going to be a crappy read. Er…well…it is crappy, but in the best possible way!
Bardoe presents information in two modes. On most spreads, readers encounter one or two short, clear factual sentences. The font is pretty big. Other pages present these big-text facts plus a smaller aside where the information is more dense. The font is much smaller to accommodate the longer, more complex sentences using more sophisticated vocabulary. These asides help expand information presented in the big-text facts. Presumably, the youngest readers could focus exclusively on the big-text facts and still take away a clear, factual impression of dung beetles. Readers at higher lexical levels are in a better position to gobble up all the rich details plopped across the spreads.
Alan Marks’ illustrations showcase dung and dung beetles the way a jeweler’s case displays rings and necklaces. That is to say, some perfectly placed and balanced lighting never fails to highlight the most attractive colors and textures. The humble beetles appear noble in their rich cocoa brown carapaces. Other species sparkle in their electric emerald armor.
Dung is not featured from a human perspective (gloopy-poop-ew), but rather from the dung beetle’s slant. More than a ball of bodily waste, dung is a treasure trove, woven with gold threads from dried grasses and plant fibers. Its other contents are gem- and jewel-toned. This substance is both mysterious and precious.
As Bardoe relates the dung beetle’s life cycle and its reliance on dung for food, shelter, reproduction, and survival, Marks deploys his color pallet in full force. He renders the lowliest soil backdrop in rich, golden peach hues or moon-glow blues. The dung beetle’s world and its life are given all due respect throughout this book. Even the potentially creepy multi-legged, alien-like grub (baby beetle) is made luminous. Marks exhibits them like pearls wrapped in opaline egg sacs.
In short, Bardoe’s factual, digestible text combines with Marks’ radiant art to create a children’s nonfiction book that truly enriches its readers. They’ve made it their dooty to highlight the beauty of the humble dung beetle.
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