cutie! It was so adorable following this moth in the realization of his dream. Picture are a bonus because I loved the style a lot!

Goth Moth is a cute story for those want to be musicians out there. This one hit home with my grandkids, as my oldest grandson played drums for a while when he was younger and still sits at them sometimes to play. I think this book might have rekindled his interest and the younger two seemed interested in playing the drums at home. Walter, aka Goth Moth, wants to play the drums and makes lots of noise at night (when he is awake) which bothers the other residents in the house. He idolizes Jitterbug, a member of an insect band. When they play a concert close by, he gets the opportunity to play real drums with the band.

The illustrations are amazing, and Walter is such an adorable moth. He has skulls on his wings, and the colours of browns, gray and darker tones are perfect for this book. I loved the album covers on the last page, and I think adults will find them a lovely tribute to music of their youth. The text is done in a rhyming format with a good cadence, only causing me a stumble a couple of times. The vocabulary was age appropriate, with a few more difficult words to have us discussing what they meant (ie: percussion, transfixed). I liked the message in this story of following your dreams and not giving up, taking a chance to pursue the dream and in this case, meeting someone who inspired him. This is a fun book that will appeal to young children and older ones as well, especially those who might be starting out in a musical venture.

Aww I wish this book was around when my nephews were little (they play drums and bass) I would have totally read this cute little book to them.

Not your average bright primary color kids book. The illustrations are on the darker (color not feeling) side but still so cute.

A fun book, but one that stumbles on its way to what successes it has - at least, in the English translation. Goth Moth is a loner, living in a forest and drumming silently in his head, for fear of making enemies out of any of the other forest-dwelling critters. His biggest wish is to attend a gig from his favourite rock-n-rolling bug, but that means leaving home in the daytime, and being distracted by all the bright lights… Until it doesn't, here's there, everything is tickety-boo and the bug is doing a Dave Grohl and inviting an audience member to thrash the drums for a few minutes, the end.

There's a surprisingly cute approach here, to the moth hero if nothing else, and the artwork makes some unusual decisions, such as building up from old scraps of newspaper semi-buried in some kind of collage, but you have to get over the fact the book spends so much energy building up the problem that GM cannot go to the gig, then has him there the next page, with no narrative or logic in between. Generally the story has come across well, especially as it has had to be in rhyme as well as translation, but I can't get over the nonsensical way everything suddenly switches to the positive.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. These opinion are completely my own.

I loved learning about Goth Moth and his need to rock. I also love the reappearance of Jitterbug, a favorite children's book of mine. Great story.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Goth Moth is a cute picture book about a little moth called Walter who's nicknamed Goth Moth because he loves to listen to and play rock music, albeit in his head and not out loud because he is very shy. One day he goes out during the daytime instead of at night and sees his favourite rock idol Jitterbug live in concert and has the most amazing time being with people just like him and joining in all the fun.
I loved the diversness of this book, and the rock band names were just hilarious. This is a story to charm and encourage those like Goth Moth who are a little different and unique and to help them see that stepping out of their comfort zones once in a while can be an amazing thing.

Fun, fast paced story about venturing beyond your comfort zone and the wonderful things that could await you. Probably best suited for older school age children, maybe in the 8-9 year bracket.

This is a really cute book. It was fun and rhymed. Poor Walter (the Goth Moth) didn't seem to fit in until he found his "family" even if it was only for a day and the path scared him.

#GothMoth #NetGalley

My daughter loved this book. She showed me a ton of the details from the story. She liked how they turned the moth into a goth style character.

What a fun sequel!!!

Goth Moth [AKA Walter] loves drumming. It's his passion, life, and dream. Trouble is, he doesn't have a drum kit, so he must "air drum" and dream of a day when he can p!at the drums for real.
While out one night, he finds his favorite bug band giving a concert and his favorite singer, Jitterbug is slaying the microphone when she sees Goth Moth air drumming along; what happens next will forever change his whole life.

Filled with amazing illustrations [I love this illustrator; she does such an amazing job] that take you right into Goth Moth Walter's world, this is a story of dreams and unexpected friendships, and [once again] celebrates diversity and being different and how that is not only okay, it's fabulous!! I just love these books!!!

Very well done!

Thank you to NetGalley, Kai Luftner, Wiebke Rauers - Illustrator, Tim Mohr - Translator, and NorthSouth Books INC for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Walter is a shy moth. He loves to pretends he is playing drums and likes rock. Jitterbug is his idol. He adores the music by Jitterbug also known as Lady B. Marie. His neighbors don’t like his night time drum playing even though he owns no drums. When Walter finds himself at one of Jitterbu’s concerts, he finds himself playing drums. At first he plays alone but then the band joins him. Jitterbug is so happy that she gives a hug. His dream has come true.

The book is well written by the author. I thought the illustrations were perfect for the story. It also has the theme showing/telling how any child afraid of leaving his comfort zone and taking a chance to makes his dreams come true. I liked this sweet book.

Maybe it was just the timing but I wasn't quite as taken with this one as I expected to be. Don't get me wrong, it's cute and the illustrations are well done, but for me the story just seemed to be lacking something. As noted, it simply may be just the timing of me coming straight into it from a mystery I loved without taking the time to "shift gears" or that it was translated from German and the rhyme seemed a bit forced at times. There's every chance others will embrace the story and what it's ultimately promoting. Therefore, 3.5 rounded to 4 stars.

It's a cute story that focuses on the idea of stepping out of ones comfort zone and taking a chance to make your dreams come true. That's a good message for children. In Goth Moth's story, actually his name is Walter, it's both being daring enough to attend a concert during the daylight hours, hardly a prime time for moths, as well as suddenly finding himself not only onstage but living his dream of playing the drums. Even better, he's backing up his musical hero's band Jitterbug, which this book is a sequel to, albeit I haven't read the first one. Lots of cute word play, Easter Eggs if you want, which are usually small items or words/names used to refer to something not connected to this story. In this case, I bet you can figure out to what Metallicicada, Moth Crew, Iron Mantis, and Def Lepidoptera refer. More metal than Goth, true, but fun nevertheless. Check the illustrations for some musical "symbols", too. And, maybe it's just me, but the first name that came to me when I looked at the cover was, well, think Nirvana. Grin.

Overall, nicely done. I should note that the author, besides being an author, editor, and director, is a musician, so the musical touch is natural for him. The illustrations, focusing on the idea of moths being creatures of the night, so to speak, have a darker tone than many children's books without being truly dark, if that makes any sense. The dark is not only part of a moth's world but obviously to signify the Goth/metal elemend of the story. Even the daylight scenes have edges of darker colors, reminding us that this isn't a human world, albeit the dreams and ambitions are very human. I also grinned at the author's use of the phrase about Jitterbug that read "...as she starts to twist and shout". Gee, wonder what band that Easter Egg might conjure up? Thanks #NetGalley and #NorthSouthBooksInc for giving me a peek into Walter's alter ego as a Goth Moth. Kids with rock'n'roll dreams should love it.

Despite the rich and immersive illustrations, coupled with lyrical text, the story did not fully engage me. A forgettable read overall.

I absolutely loved this sweet and spooky book. Walter has music in his heart and gets to live out his dream! I can’t wait to buy a hard copy to add to both my daughter and my niece’s library of children’s books!

Thank you to NorthSouth Books and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this title. I read Jitterbug and thought it was such a fun and delightful musical premise, so this continuation of that buggy rockstar universe is still a treat. But I didn't feel like the story packed quite as much of a punch, and the rhyme didn't work as well as it really wanted to, for me. The illustrations are superb and I'm happy to see more from this Band of Bugs!

What a fun book. As a elder rock emo millennial turned mother this was right up my alley. Great art and a even greater story.

What a charming little picture book. The translation to rhyming English is fantastic and I couldn't get enough of the artful illustrations. I want a whole series about Goth Moth and his wondrous rocking ambition.

The story follows a moth named Walter who loves drumming and who gets to meet his favourite rockstar. The illustrations are really sweet however the rhyming doesn't always flow or rhyme which I think may be from the translating from German to English.
I read this to my 7yr old daughters and they really enjoyed it.

This picture book for kids was absolutely charming, with the illustrations being the standout feature. They are adorable and vividly colorful. I particularly enjoy how insects are depicted in children's art, and this book does it beautifully.

However, the plot fell short for me. The story didn't seem very coherent. For instance, why did the band have an opening for a drummer right when they were already on stage? And how was it acceptable for a random insect, Goth Moth, to join and play the drums spontaneously? It felt like a contrived conflict that was tacked on. Additionally, the rhyming sometimes felt forced, with certain words seeming like a stretch just to fit the rhyme scheme. Moreover, the main character didn't convey much of a "goth" vibe to me; he came across more as a rocker. I expected stronger "goth" elements to make the character's identity clearer.

Despite these issues, I think kids would still enjoy this story. It carries excellent messages about following your passions, having confidence, and not letting others' opinions stop you from doing what you love.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. These are my own thoughts and opinions.

Such a cute story book about a moth that is into Goth and Rock music. Walter is a wannabe drummer but doesn’t have a drum so he plays air drum on his own.. One day he gets to attend a Jitterbug concert (his idol) who lets him play real drums during her concert.

Love the illustrations and the originality of this story.

Really enjoyed it! Thank you. EtGalley and North South Books for the ARC of GOTH MOTH by Kai Lüftner.