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.

Rock on!

Okay, fans of children's author Grimm Grisly and Tim Burton would love this story.
I am a mothman fanatic at heart.
This story was an emo millenial's dream picture book.

This was a fun story meant for younger readers. I loved the take on a moth wanting to meet his favorite rockstar. The illustrations were so fun and unique.

Rock n’ roll isn’t my kind of music, but a young child would absolutely love the take on music. I loved the visuals and color cues used in the book, it was such an interesting story.

🎸🪘🎸🪘🎸🪘🎸🪘🎸🪘🎸🪘🎸

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with access to read this book!

This creepy cute art style brings this rockin roll story to life. I love the concept of leaving your comfort zone in order to gain your life goals.
This little night critter must venture to the day time to join in on what he’s always loved to do.
I love the art style and the incorporated text in the background design.

This was an awesome book! This cute moth loves everything goth! He is a shy guy who has dreams of playing the drums. His dreams come true when he gets to rock out with hig bid idol Jitterbug. This book was so heartwarming and cute! It shows you to not give up on your dreams, who knows, chances are, they can come true!
Adorable book about taking chances and following your passion, Wonderfully written and illustrated! Highly recomend!

This book was amazing! Thanks to Net Galley, I was able to read a digital ARC, but I want to buy a copy when it comes out, even though my kids are way too old for it, because I loved it so much! The illustrations were fantastic - the colors beautiful, the depth amazing, and I always love when newspaper/text copy is incorporated into the background. The story that accompanies the wonderful artwork is also great! Walter aka "Goth Moth - the nightime rocker", braves the light of day to go out and see his favorite superstar, Jitterbug. The use of onomatopoeia throughout the book is so fun! I highly recommend checking this book out for kids of all ages.

I usually request adult level books but this cover really attracted me. A Goth Moth?? I had to know more.
The pictures are adorable. I love how well they go with the story.
The cadence of the story could be a little better. I had to stop and restart in order pick up the correct cadence again. The first section about the drums was confusing because of sentence structure, I don’t think some of the periods were supposed to be there.
Overall I loved this. I think it’s adorable and I love the story. A shy moth, who may seem weird and annoying to other people, finds his way and ventures out to something he might enjoy, even if he was scared.

Thank you to NetGalley and NorthSouth Books Inc for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.

Walter, AKA Goth Moth the Nighttime Rocker, is an adorable main character who wants to be a drummer. The story is whimsical, with a focus on following your dreams. The art is good, but more on the darker side and might not be appropriate for very young children or little ones who scare easily. Overall, it's a very cute story.

A little moth who likes goth style and music meets the band of his dreams and gets to actually play the drums instead of being an air drummer. The message is be true to yourself and it's nicely told.

A delightful rhyming picture book about a shy rocker who realizes fear shouldn’t keep him from his dreams.