I see bugs!

While summer is great for some things like camping, hiking and other outdoor activities, it is not so great for other things that come with it, like mosquitoes, allergies and sun burns. Most folks brought up in countries like India seem unfazed at the sight of mosquitoes, or with exposure to the scorching sun or allergens like grass pollen or dust during summer. But for their kids born and being brought here in the US or any country abroad, it is a different story altogether! I’m afraid Abhay has become more American than Indian when it comes to being comfortable with the uncomfortable. He screams for help as soon as a common fly or a mosquito is trapped inside the car or his room. I can’t imagine his plight in Bangalore where mosquitoes and flies are a common sight!  

So today I had him read “I see a Bug” by Kirsten Hall and illustrated by Eldon Doty,a My First Hello Reader in scholastic Early reader series. A young boy is delighted to find a lady bug outside his door and lets it inside. Soon his delight turns into horror as he discovers a host of other bugs like ants, spiders, centipedes and grass hoppers swarming into his house. Caught in the middle of bug traffic, he decides to play traffic cop and show them the way out. That’s when he realizes bugs are best kept outside and are fun to watch from the inside!  Though not as enthused by bugs as he is by cars, Abhay managed to read this early reader to its last page and found that he and the boy were on the same page, after all!