We all know the horrible fate of Gregor Samsa in Kafka’s Metamorphosis—he wakes up one morning to find he’s been transformed into a cockroach. As the story unfolds, we watch as poor Gregor’s family responds with disgust, and Gregor becomes alienated from the only life he’s ever known.
But in this week’s Unbound, Kafka’s chilling tale takes a brighter turn. Rather than waking up as a beetle, our protagonist finds herself in the body of a more endearing bug. And her family seems more accepting of her than Gregor’s does of him. Congratulations to Amy on this charming revision of a classic tale!
My Day as a Ladybug
When I woke up, I felt like a round circle. I was trying to walk, and I fell on my stomach. I had tiny, diminutive legs. I went to the mirror to look at myself, and I was a ladybug.
At breakfast, my mom freaked out and blurted, “What happened?”
“I don’t know!” I said. “I just turned into a ladybug.”
My sisters yelled, “She is so cute and chubby!”
I said, “Thank you. Thank you very much.”
Amy, fourth grade, Hornsby-Dunlap Elementary School
unbound 
This poem made me think of the last time I saw a ladybug–on a beautiful hike in Italy. Now I wonder if it was a young girl. It was definitely cute and chubby!