Product Description

Witty, charming, and tied closely to Willow Creek curriculum, kids will love this red-spotted, blue-spotted Yuck Bug story.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1216385 in Books
• Published on: 2005-06-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 40 pages

From the Back Cover
A rhyming poem about the importance of not saying unkind things --for ages 8 and under.

The red-and-blue-spotted Yuck Bugs have been firing hurtful words back and forth, nearly killing each other, when the Watch-What-You-Utterfly bug stops nearby to rest. By using kind and charitable words, she keeps the Yuck Bugs from being poisoned and saves the day.

The delightful poem illustrates the truth of Proverbs 12:18, and is loosley based on the Promiseland® Metamorphosis curriculum from Willow Creek. Children ages eight and under learn in a fun way that saying unkind things about the other people is like poisoning them.

About the Author
Aaron Reynolds is the author of several picture books. He graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University with a degree in theatre and over the years has held many interesting and exciting jobs, including waiter, actor, chef, dancer, carpenter, businessman, and best of all, writer. He currently works with Promiseland, the children's ministry of Willow Creek Community Church, and lives near Chicago with his wife, two kids and two cats.

Customer Reviews

Tongue-twisting tale of the power of words
Based on Proverbs 12:18, The Tale of the Poisonous Yuck Bugs, teaches kids the penalty of unkind words.

Fun, tongue-twisting words and ridiculous creatures are put together with rhyme, and this charming story with its colorful illustrations brings to life the damage that insults and name-calling can bring. Two ugly bugs live their life making all of the other creatures on the island of Gak sick with the poisonous words they speak. Soon, no other creatures will come around them, and they are left only with each other's company.

Left to their own devices, the two bugs quickly turn on each other, calling each other names such as twerpulous twerp, and unwittingly break the unspoken rule that yuck bugs never say bad things to those of their own kind. Quickly, a shouting match ensues and the two yuck bugs begin to die from the sickness they bring on themselves with their horrible words.

Just as all seems lost, a beautiful utterfly happens on the scene and begins to compliment the bugs, something they've never heard. She shows by example, kind words can heal, and the two yuck bugs are soon back on their feet.

Fascinated by the effects of using nice words, the two yuck bugs begin to compete, trying to outdo the other with giving compliments.

Kids of all ages will enjoy the outrageous illustrations and the word combinations provided by the author and illustrator of this fun book, which teaches a good lesson without letting on that its being taught.

"Thoughtless words cut like us toward. But the tongue of wise people brings healing." Proverbs 12:18

terrible book
Cute pictures, the end result of story is good, however, you have to read things like "You jerkulous jerk" and "you are clumsy and dumb and you stink up the tree" and "you twerpulous twerp" and many more insults. I am not interested in feeding such things to my child. If they hear horrible nasty things, I don't want it to be in a book that I encourage them to read. The fact that it turns out good in the end is great, but in the meantime I am also teaching them bad things to say. Horrific and disappointing!

Colorfully Illustrated
Written for young children, this story could be a good one for initiating discussion about using our words to build others up. The brightly colored illustrations attract children's attention, and the moral of the story is clear and appropriate for young children.

The story itself, however, is rather mediocre, and the many hurled insults, if read over and over as children often do, could have the negative effect of being picked up by the children.

This might be a good book for one-time readings by teachers or guidance counselors, when a carefully guided discussion can follow.