There Ain't No Bugs on Me - Hardcover

Jerry Garcia and David Grisman met at a bluegrass show in 1964 and collaborated on a variety of projects, including their 1973 band Old and In the Way. Jerry spent over thirty years writing and playing guitar with the Grateful Dead, while David revolutionized the mandolin with his own brand of acoustic music called "dawg" (a nickname Jerry gave him), which he continues to perform with his quintet. In 1990 they formed the Garcia/Grisman band and subsequently made new recordings, including the 1993 release Not for Kids Only, on which the song "Jenny Jenkins" appears.

A lighthearted ditty arranged and performed by musicians Grisman and the late Grateful Dead guitarist Garcia makes a less-than-harmonious transition into picture-book text. The refrain "There ain't no bugs on me,/ There ain't no bugs on me./ There may be bugs on some of you mugs,/ But there ain't no bugs on me" alternates with different cheerful stanzas (e.g., "Well, the Juney bug comes in the month of June,/ The lightning bug comes in May,/ The bedbug comes just any old time,/ But they're not going to stay"). While the lyrics are fun to say (or sing), they're not linear, and they don't tell or imply a story. Whatley, previously teamed with Garcia and Grisman for The Teddy Bears' Picnic, reunites that teddy-bear cast to supply a broad plot line here. His cheery watercolors show the bears as musicians heading out on tour and meeting a variety of insects and other creatures along the way. Their leader, a bespectacled, white-muzzled bruin sporting a guitar with a rainbow strap, is a ringer for Garcia, and indeed, no bugs ever alight on him. Throughout their travels, the bears are accompanied by a group of suitcase-toting insects whose antics provide most of the visual interest. An audiocassette of the songAa real winnerAis included. Ages 3-8.
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