The Bug on a bike begins inviting friends one after another to follow him. Bug doesn't say where they are going, but everyone follows including a pickle and a nickle. They end up in a forest where a huge birthday party is set up to celebrate Bug's birthday.

The illustration on the cover is beautiful, but you do not get this quality throughout the book. Many of the illustrations are very small with a lot of empty space. This story is told in rhyme. It begins well, but quickly loses steam: "Then Butterfly Andy/and hoppy toad Randy/played banjos and sang/and shared five bowls if candy." Quite a few of Bug's friends are quite random including the pickle and nickle, plus clams and ants on a log. This story is repetitive. As the group picks up new friends, they review the friends already in the line plus the new friends.

Even though the story is too wordy and complicated for the little ones, this book would be good for an early reader because of the repetitiveness of the story. It has a lot of zany and wacky to it which would make it fun for students learning to read.

My 3 year old loves this book! Lots of good rhyming and funny artwork. Has a great message, too.