Bugs

Reach for this book when you want to engage your teenager in a critical conversation about the evolution of media and how historical literature can reflect the prejudices of its time. While it originates from the whimsical mind of L. Frank Baum, this story of a highly educated, eccentric insect navigating the 'civilized' world is deeply complicated by its 1905 origins. It serves as a stark primary source for discussing how stereotypes were once used as humor. Because of its dated and harmful caricatures, this is not a book for independent reading by younger children. Instead, it is a tool for parents of older students to examine the history of the Land of Oz through a lens of social justice and media literacy. It offers a unique opportunity to discuss why certain stories are 'lost' to history and how we can appreciate an author's imagination while firmly rejecting the biased frameworks they occasionally employed.