Illustration of Doodle, Bug & Bear Press’s sketch-loving mascot, drawing at a desk with a smile—illustrating one of our rhyming picture books.

Every Story Connects & Gives Back

Every Bug & Bear book is part of a bigger story.
Some connect in wild ways. Some spark brand-new ideas.
All are powered by imagination—and right now, during the Painting Grace launch, they’re connecting to something even bigger: our Story Shapers’ communities.

Through September 5th, 75% of ALL Painting Grace royalties go straight to the schools selected by our Story Shapers.

So explore the series. Find your family’s next favorite.
And know that every story you buy helps shape the next one—and supports a local cause along the way.

Presenting

Book Two: The Big Garden Gig

The Big Garden Gig turns chores into chords, mud into music, and teamwork into triumph.

When Billy and Mary get stuck with backyard duty, they don’t expect ants with opinions, beetles with instruments, or a dung beetle named Doug in charge of seating.

But that’s exactly what they find.

To join the bug band and help pull off the backyard concert of the year, they’ll need imagination, grit, and a whole lot of problem-solving.
Good thing that in Becoming Bug, they already found out who they really are.

Bug and Bear show up ready to turn boring into brilliant and show Artie and his ants what teamwork is all about.

From puddles to party prep, follow them as they flip a soggy chore into a day they’ll never forget.

It’s weird. It’s wild. It’s work.
And it’s proof that sometimes, helping out is how the magic starts.

Behind the Story

This one’s about finding joy in the mess.

The rake. The chore list. The grumbling. That’s where it starts.
But for Bug and Bear, the real magic shows up because of the work—not in spite of it.

They didn’t fix things by whining.
They showed up. Solved problems. Helped.
And that helping helped them find magic in the mud.

Kids don’t need to escape to do something big.
They just need a little mud, a mission, and maybe an ant with a crooked hat.

Inside the Book!