When Stephen spots a beetle he takes off his shoe and raises his arm, ready to strike... but then he has second thoughts. He lays his head down on the ground and the beetle walks right up to him. At the last moment the beetle turns aside and each can go on with the day, having avoided the worst.

In this very simple story Jorge Lujan presents the kind of deep moral questions that can occur even in the smallest child's day. Chiara Carrer's very original etched and painted illustrations perfectly complement the story, and are in and of themselves beautiful works of art.

About the Author
JORGE LUJAN is an author, poet and musician. His body of work, translated into eighteen languages, includes Stephen and the Beetle, illustrated by Chiara Carrer; Doggy Slippers and Numeralia, illustrated by Isol; Colors! !Colores!, illustrated by Piet Grobler; and Movi la mano / I Moved My Hand, illustrated by Mandana Sadat. He has won the Premio de Poesia para Ninos de ALIJA, and has been nominated for the 2024 Anderson Prize and nominated eight times for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. He lives in Mexico. Chiara Carrer is one of Italy's best-known children's book illustrators. She lives in Rome. Visit Chiara Carrer's website: http://www.chiaracarrer.com/ ELISA AMADO is a Guatemalan-born author and translator. She has written My Friend (Mi amiga), illustrated by Alfonso Ruano; Un Barrilete para el Dia de los Muertos / Barrilete: A Kite for the Day of the Dead; Cousins (Primas), illustrated by Luis Garay; and Tricycle (El triciclo), illustrated by Alfonso Ruano, which is on the Americas Award Commended List and is a USBBY Outstanding International Book. She lives in Toronto.

Reviews
This simple yet powerful life-or-death drama between the boy and the beetle is vividly captured in Carrer's striking, highly original acrylic, ink pencil, oil pastel and collage illustrations. Using naive outlines, Expressionistic color washes, open spaces and constantly changing perspectives, she creates tension between the aggressive boy and the passive beetle. * Kirkus, STARRED REVIEW *



Book Information
ISBN 9781554981922
Author Jorge Lujn
Format Hardback
Page Count 36
Imprint Groundwood Books Ltd ,Canada
Publisher Groundwood Books Ltd ,Canada
Weight(grams) 411g
Dimensions(mm) 285mm * 196mm * 10mm