In a Patch of Grass [Hardcover]

David Antenborough narrates this picture-book send-up of a nature documentary, sounding just like the real-life David but with more gesticulations, since he has six limbs at his disposal. Director Stephen Spielbug tries to keep the cast of characters on task, but its worse than herding cats: The orb-weaving spider would like to eat one or two other actors; the grasshopper is a diva; the worm is too busy munching dirt to emerge from the ground on cue; the robin has joined a union and declines to show up for the predation scene; and the slug is too embarrassed by his slime to perform. As David and Stephen near the wrap-up, filming is interrupted by a whuffling noise and then a foul-smelling hurricane, and Fido the dog sniffs his way through the grass and onto their set. The panicked actors flee at top speed (which is not very fast in the slugs case), but the intrepid Antenborough continues narrating, Spielbug keeps directing, and they bring the film to a dramatic conclusion. Despite the chaosor maybe because of itwe learn some things about these animals, and backmatter nature facts give us more.?A funny, rollicking take on a natural-history picture book, designed to entertain kids and the adults who read to them. Director Steven Spielbugs attempt to film a nature documentary goes badly awry.Not even unflappable, six-limbed commentator David Antenborough can rescue the ground-level shoot as a fly nearly interrupts Spielbugs shot of the orb-weaver spider, the slug goes off script, the grasshopper huffily objects to being billed as Natures great show-off, the earthworm misses a cue, the robin calls in sick, and then, to top it all off, a looming canine nose (with dog attached) wuffl[es] into viewsending the entire invertebrate cast and crew into panicked flight. But if, among all the chaos, observations about not only webs, legs, diets, and relatives of the bugs, spiders, and other wildlife typically seen in low, grassy habitats (When this spider is ready tol³]