Bug in a Rug

Usborne Phonics Readers

by Russell Punter

New title in the Phonic Readers series
A lively story with simple rhyming text and irresistible illustrations, specially written for young children who are learning to read. “I need my sleep tonight,” says Bug. “Tomorrow I start work for Slug.” Bug glugs hot chocolate from a mug. Then snuggles up inside his rug. Simple, rhyming text helps children to develop essential language and early reading skills, and there are guidance notes for parents at the back of the book.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

24 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1900

About the author

Russell Punter was born in Bedfordshire, England. From an early age he enjoyed writing and illustrating his own stories. He trained as a graphic designer at art college in West Sussex before entering the world of publishing. He has written over one hundred books for children of all ages, ranging from original stories to adaptations of classic novels.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this book in a cafe and decided to read it to contribute to my reading goal
Bug is a great salesman

[Lev · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was cool. He couldn't sleep. And actually, yesterday we couldn't sleep until 3am.

[Kyle Chalamet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have killed slug with hammers 👍

[Talea · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter struggles with reading and she loved this book. The repetition helped her gain confidence that made her want to continue reading instead of give up in frustration.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doesn't everyone want to be "as snug as a bug in a rug" sometimes?

[Luna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bug in a Rug is our go-to story for the night, just hearing the first line "I need my sleep tonight" brings big, sweet smiles.

Bug does his best to get ready to work at Slug's Rugs Store but a car alarm, a baby, loud music and an owl interrupt his sleep the night prior to his salesbug debut. Slug, whose sole focus is profit, is not going to hear excuses as he wants those thick rugs to be sold while he is out. With his sore eyes, Bug betrays capitalism to attend to his need for rest and enjoys one of the soft and snug rugs.
Luckily, no sales pitch could be more convincing for the shoppers than a bug snug in a rug, and to Slug's surprise, they queue to get their own rug, looking forward to being as snug as Bug.

Bug chooses to prioritise himself and by doing that all pieces fall into place and the shoppers resonate with him.

Be more bug.

ps: I am reading Rest is Resistance by Tricia Hersey and I find several analogies between the two books.

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cozy and comfortable, as in During the blizzard we had plenty of firewood and stayed in the cottage, snug as a bug in a rug. This expression, thought to allude to a moth larva happily feeding inside a rolled-up carpet, was first recorded in 1769 and probably owes its long life to the rhyme.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun and quick read for bedtime with good rhyming. If I have to pick a book for bedtime these are more fun for me to read to my daughter because of the rhyming.

[Georgia · Rating 5 out of 5]

we have almost all of the phonics readers collection but this is the 1st one my son picked up to read all by himself...

[Jenna Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun

[Missy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute pictures :)

[Harriet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for phonics - lots of simple rhyming.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some pretty sweet rhymes in here. Bug's employee Slug had a tremendous moustache!

[Lex Redding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Snug as a bug

[Emma-Jayne Casey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Introduces the ‘u’ sound to children in a lovely way that they be able to recognise it for themselves. Rhyming and alliteration also included to help with phonemic awareness.

[Aria Scoma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short read! Wanted more details about bug.

[KaitandMaddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maddie enjoyed reading these and they learned a bit about British dialect.

[Hunter Kleinow · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read these books during Kindergarten reading groups and the students really love them. The best part about these books is how they rhyme, have good word choice, and use really interesting illustrations. These books are somewhat of a series and they follow the same recognizable style that the students like. I feel that the characters are relatable and students begin to see them in the background illustrations of the other books in this series.

[Elowyn Guy · Rating 3 out of 5]

i dident like it

[Akoss · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a cute story about a Bug who couldn't get any sleep on the eve of his first day at a new job. Every time he is about to go to sleep an annoying sound/event wakes him up.
The book was fun to read and I also appreciated the fact that it was written with an emphasis on phonetics to help with early reader skills. However it sounded too simple as it failed to retain my daughter's attention.
I'm not surprised though, the last thing she likes to do is go to bed like most kids her age, so why even read about it right?

[Little Bamboo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The storyline is simple, the illustration is just alright. It's a silly story for children about a sleepless bug due to external noises like crying baby, parties, etc.

Morally I guess it helps kids to realize the importance of good night sleep and why being quiet is needed sometimes. We liked it but I guess, we expected more.

[Nicola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phonics early reader that rhymes words like Snug, Bug, Rug, Slug. Miss 4 enjoyed it and we read it a number of times.

Miss 4 and I like to explore different books and authors at the library, sometimes around particular topics or themes. We try to get different ones out every week or so; it's fun for both of us to have the variety and to look at a mix of new & favourite authors.

[Amanda Schwind · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rich vocabulary while still utilizing many words with matching endings to help solidify that ending for struggling readers.