Meet Dust Mite
He wears a cape he found, a bandage he earned and a grin that usually means trouble.
Dust Mite is brave first and sensible later. He makes a mess of most things, and he gets there in the end.
Has a plan
Hears the vacuum
On a mission
Bath night
Carl said something
It was him
He lives under the bed, where nobody ever looks, and he has a new plan every day. Linty Lou usually has a better one.
His best move is the Hero Landing: climb the tallest thing, spread your cape, shout “TA-DAAA!” and land like a hero. The landing is the part he’s still working on.
There are two things he could do without: the vacuum and bath night. Everything else he will try, and when it goes wrong he owns up, says sorry and has another go.
“I have a cape, and I have a plan.”
The books
Two storybooks and a coloring book, each in English and in Spanish.
The storybook
Dust Mite Didn't Do It
Cobweb Cody spent all week hanging the Great Web. Then Dust Mite tried a Hero Landing and went straight through it, leaving a hole his exact shape. When the crew asks who did it, he says the Clean Team did. Then a giant broom. Then a dragon. A read-aloud picture book about owning up.
For ages 4 to 8. Paperback, 32 pages, 8.5 × 8.5 inches, and on Kindle.
Get it on AmazonAlso in Spanish: Dust Mite no fue
The Halloween storybook
Dust Mite and the Monster Under the Bed
On Halloween night, a drawing floats down from the bed above: the kid upstairs has drawn the monster under the bed, and it looks an awful lot like Dust Mite. So tonight he will be the scariest monster ever, until his shadow fills the whole wall and his best friend looks up and sees it. A not-too-scary picture book about looking closer.
For ages 4 to 8. Paperback, 32 pages, 8.5 × 8.5 inches, and on Kindle.
Get it on AmazonAlso in Spanish: Dust Mite y el monstruo debajo de la cama
The coloring book
Dust Mite and the Big Clean
A Coloring Story
Cleaning Day is coming. Thirty pictures tell the story of Dust Mite, his crew and the Vacuum, with a line to read under each one. Every picture has a blank back, so markers don’t spoil the next one.
For ages 4 to 8. Paperback, 8.5 × 11 inches.
Get it on AmazonAlso in Spanish: Dust Mite y la Gran Limpieza
Watch
Cartoons from under the bed, made for kids. Watch them here or on YouTube.
Halloween Special: The Monster Under the Bed
On Halloween night the kid upstairs draws the monster under the bed, and it looks a lot like Dust Mite. So he decides to be the scariest monster ever. A not-too-scary cartoon about looking closer.
3:13
Episode 1: The Vacuum Is Coming
The vacuum is coming, and Dust Mite has a cape and a plan. Linty Lou has a better one, if he will only listen. A cartoon about listening to your friends.
2:30
Dust Mite Didn’t Do It, read aloud
The whole storybook, read aloud, with every character in their own voice and the words on screen to read along.
6:45
A video loads from YouTube only when you press play. More on YouTube
The crew
Nobody in Dustopia is clean, and nobody minds.
Linty Lou
Lint bug
Shy, loyal and braver than she thinks. She is covered in sock fuzz and smells faintly of gym shoes.
“Um… I think this might be bad.”
Crumbly Carl
Crumb muncher
Always hungry, always cheerful and rarely paying attention. His hands are sticky.
“Is this edible?”
Germina
Germ
The clever one. She glows a little green, leaves a slime trail, and is gladder to have friends than she lets on.
“Technically, that’s my fault.”
Cobweb Cody
Dust spider
Slow, calm and fond of decorating. He is usually tangled in something.
“Everything sticks eventually.”
And one who isn’t dirty at all.
Bubbles
Soap bubble
Cheerful, kind and spotless. She wants to help everyone under the bed, which is exactly the problem.
“Let’s wash it away!”
The Clean Team
They are polite, they are spotless, and they are certain they’re helping.
Scrubbot 3000
Never speaks. Never stops scrubbing.
The Suds Sisters
They giggle, finish each other’s sentences and overdo everything.
“Oops! Too clean!”
Captain Pure
The leader. He smiles constantly and believes he is saving everyone.
“Cleanliness is kindness!”
Dr. Sterile
Carries a clipboard and has a plan for every speck.
“Mess is a measurable failure.”
The Fresheners
Three quiet clouds that smell lovely and mean business.
“Breathe deeply…”
Play
Five little games under the bed. Hide the crew from the Vacuum, match the cards, lead Dust Mite through the maze to the Lost Sock, catch the crumbs falling from the bed, or color six pages from the book with a tap.
Free, in the browser. No ads and nothing to buy.
Play the gamesAlso on iPhone, iPad and Android:
Shirts and more
The whole cast, from Dust Mite to the Fresheners, on tees and hoodies for grown-ups and kids, toddler tees, mugs, water bottles, totes, bucket hats, stickers, posters and sketchbooks. Pick a side, or get both.
Our shop is run by Fourthwall, who print, sell and ship every order.
Color him in
One page, free to print. He comes in black and white, so your kid gets to decide what color a dust mite should be.
Download the coloring pagePrint as many copies as you like, for home or the classroom.
One-page PDF, sized for US Letter paper.
For the grown-ups
Dust Mite was my nickname in college. My friends gave it to me because I’m a little rough around the edges, and it stuck.
It turned into a character: a scruffy hero who means well, makes a mess and works it out eventually. The stories are for kids aged 4 to 8, whether they read on their own or someone reads to them.
The Clean Team isn’t evil. They take tidy too far. The stories show the contrast between dirty and clean, and the key is the balance in the middle. I think that’s true of life in general.
The coloring book came first, in English and in Spanish. The first storybook, Dust Mite Didn’t Do It, is out now in both languages, and so is the Halloween one, Dust Mite and the Monster Under the Bed.
Ben Subercaseaux
Author
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