The Great Whipplethorp Bug Collection

by Ben Brashares (Author) Elizabeth Bergeland (Illustrator)

The Great Whipplethorp Bug Collection
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

Enjoy this witty, heartwarming exploration of father-son relationships and growing up male in today's culture through the lens of a boy yearning to forge his own identity.

Chuck Whipplethorp has a lot to live up to. He is Charles Whipplethorp the Fifth after all, named after his seriously cool ancestors who were explorers, soldiers, and scientists--his grandpa even discovered a new species of insect! One day Chuck looks at his stay-at-home dad, huddled over his laptop, and asks: "Dad . . . when I grow up, am I going to be as boring as you?" With a little help from his nurturing father, Chuck finds his own source of strength and individuality through creativity, and helps him to discover that "greatness" comes in many forms.

The Great Whipplethorp Bug Collection offers a multigenerational family portrait with humor and heart, while unpacking gender roles and acknowledging the universal desire young readers feel to belong and make a mark in the world.

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Hardcover
$18.99

Kirkus

Starred Review
This delightful story highlights a warm, comforting, realistic son-father relationship... A charmer about finding self-confidence and one's place in a family.

Publishers Weekly

With a mix of earnestness and humor, previous collaborators Brashares and Bergeland (Being Edie Is Hard Today) tackle the roles of men and fathers. While unpacking in his family's new house, Chuck Whipplethorp unearths his entomologist grandfather's expertly mounted insect collection, assembled at age nine. Chuck's warm and attentive father lists the achievements of the globe-trotting Whipplethorp men back to Chuck's great-great-grandfather, a military man and mountain climber who, Brashares writes, "once lost three toes to frostbite on Mount Everest." Dad has already broken the mold: he works at home as a data analyst, a choice Chuck that calls "boring." Chuck sets out the next day in search of thrills, but "the tallest peak on Normal Street--a large pile of mulch--offered little chance of frostbitten toes." Instead, he finds his own Whipplethorp adventure--one that's uniquely suited to his interests. Pencil-and-watercolor drawings by Bergeland portray Chuck's house, and the plants and insects around it, in precise, clean lines. There's a lot to this story, which champions maker culture, charting one's own path, and changing gender roles: "I'm kind of glad you're boring. It means you're around a lot," says Chuck. "That's the adventure I always wanted," replies Dad. Ages 4-8. Agent (for author and illustrator): Jodi Reamer, Writers House. (Apr.)

Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

 
Ben Brashares
Ben Brashares is the author of the picture book Being Edie is Hard Today. He holds an MFA in creative writing and has written for magazine including Men's Journal and Rolling Stone. Ben lives in Montclair, New Jersey with his wife, three children, three cats and a dog.
Elizabeth Bergeland is the illustrator of Being Edie is Hard Today. She is also a fine artist with a BFA in painting from the University of Colorado who exhibits her work nationally. She lives with her husband and three children in a quirky old row home in Philadelphia.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780316538251
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date
May 11, 2021
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV039050 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Emotions & Feelings
JUV002140 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Insects, Spiders, etc.
JUV013030 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Multigenerational
JUV005000 - Juvenile Fiction | Boys & Men
Library of Congress categories
Insects
Genealogy
Collection and preservation

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