You know those times where the bugs actually aren’t that and you pretend you’re safe and it’s just lovely? And then a few days later you discover they were there all along? Based on a true story.

First page of zine or picture book by Maddy Buck. It is in the shape of the state of Minnesota. Illustration includes a woman with her arms raised, saying “The Glorious North Woods!” With collaged watercolor blobs, the illustration shows lakes and green trees.

Illustration from Minnesota-shaped zine shows a person in shorts and a yellow t-shirt saying “The glorious north woods,” while slapping themselves in the arm, clearly killing a mosquito.

Illustration of woman laying in bed, dreaming “The glorious north woods” as mosquitos buzz about all around her.

Illustration of woman in Minnesota-shaped zine. She looks a little unhappy, there’s a pink exclamation point about her head, and mosquito bites on her leg.

A page of a Minnesota-shaped picture book, where the illustration shows a woman in multiple poses trying to itch her new mosquito bites. She doesn’t look happy and her legs are turning red.

In a Minnesota-shaped picture book, the illustration shows an enormous mosquito saying, “The glorious north woods!” and flying above a green north woods landscape. The illustration is done using watercolored collage.

Last past of Minnesota shaped picture book. Illustration is done using ink, marker, and watercolored paper that is collaged. There are a few pine trees, a sun, and a lake.

Transcript:

Page 1: An exuberant woman stands in a collaged north woods environment, on the front page of a Minnesota-shaped book, as she proclaims “The Glorious North Woods!”

Page 2: The same woman happily slaps at a single bug that is shown buzzing around her arm, all while proclaiming with a simple “The Glorious North Woods!” She’s unperturbed.

Page 3: The same woman snoozes with a smile, dreaming “The Glorious North Woods.” She’s completely unaware of the the few bugs shown buzzing around her.

Page 4: The same woman, stands surprised and alert with an exclamation point over her had and “itch me, itch me, itch me” coming from a red bump on her leg.

Page 5: In five drawings, the same woman is shown discovering more and more mosquito bites all over. She gets increasingly angry.

Page 6: An enormous mosquito character is show flying above a collaged north woods environment saying happily “The glorious north woods!”

Page 7: By Maddy Buck 2022, amidst some collaged trees, a lake, and dotted lines indicating bugs.