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Boswell is a bug, but not just any bug. She has "an inquisitive mind" that is constantly searching for new things. Once she hears of a mysterious something called "happiness," she becomes determined to seek it out. But as it is something that can't be seen, where should she look for it, and how would she know it even if she did find it? Thus begins Boswell's trek.
Assuming happiness must be far away, she sets out, first in a hot air balloon looking down over the landscape and landing by an old tree trunk. But happiness isn't there. It isn't under a big, decorative hat nor in a large dripping water fountain. Ever curious, Boswell keeps on moving. She doesn't see happiness in a new cowboy boot or even in a bright pink jeep. She doesn't find the mysterious happiness on a cactus or in a refreshing blue pool that she scans while resting on a striped lounge chair. It isn't in a travel trailer, either.
By now, Boswell is getting tired, and it's been a long day. She curls up under a canopy of twinkling stars, longing for her cozy bed on a leaf back home. Feeling as though she has gone as far as she possibly can, she stops to rest under a tree and begins to breathe slowly, eyes closed. With each breath, a new feeling spreads "to a place in her heart." Suddenly she knows that happiness comes "from the inside – out." The message here for everyone is that there is a place deep down inside where happiness resides.
The authors, both former schoolteachers, have created this new look at the time-honored search for happiness with their combined talents of storytelling and bright artwork. These traits make every page a new experience for young readers. The backdrop for Boswell's quest is the scenic outdoors, conveying the feeling of the beautiful Sonoran Desert. There are saguaro cacti, homes made of adobe, patterns reminiscent of Native American artwork, and, beyond it all, a line of mountains in the distance. Colors, too, support this landscape—rich oranges, purples, and greens—with many of the designs having been achieved with cut paper layouts. Boswell is as cute as a bug should be, with vibrant turquoise and tangerine striping and a heart that finally becomes visible once when she begins to feel and understand the truth about happiness.
The book combines rhyming quatrains with the rhythmic mantra often repeated as Boswell moves through her search: "So the little bug traveled on." There are some big, important words to teach for the parent or grandparent reading the book to a younger child, such as "inquisitive." And indeed, the book's central theme of happiness provides yet another focus for a teachable moment, allowing readers of any age to examine for themselves what makes them happy and how that happiness feels within them. The Wheatons have created an engaging story with a truly happy ending worth all of the effort that its insect heroine puts into her quest.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review