Real bees need human help; this fictional bee needs a character makeover to really fly.
A warm relationship develops between a young child and a wingless bumblebee.
When Sasha notices the titular bee, she is immediately moved to help, first placing the inert body in the cup of a crocus, then offering her a sugar-water solution. The latter remedy works, reviving the bee, who comically poses on two pipestem legs, the other four flexed like a bodybuilder’s. In the land of the living the bee may be, but without wings, she can’t forage for food or flee predators. Christening her new insect friend Bea, Sasha cares for her all summer, even going so far as to fashion a homemade paraglider so Bea can experience flight. But bumblebees’ lives are short, “and one sad, unfixable day, Bea was gone.” The following spring, Sasha pays tribute to Bea with a bee-friendly garden. Williams’ flight of fancy is stronger visually than textually, illustrations investing both the peanut-shaped black-and-yellow bee and Sasha’s cat, Molly, with expressive appeal. Bea is voiceless, however, and this combines with her physical helplessness to undermine the illustrations’ efforts—she’s more an object for Sasha’s benevolence than a character with any real agency. Sasha has beige skin and a light-brown bob. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Real bees need human help; this fictional bee needs a character makeover to really fly. (bee facts, information on creating a bee-friendly garden) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 9781797222509
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2023
Still, preschoolers will likely savor this mouthwatering treatment of a subject that looms large in many early school...
The familiar theme of the challenges facing a new kid in town is given an original treatment by photographer Border in this book of photos of three-dimensional objects in a simple modeled landscape.
Peanut Butter is represented by a slice of white bread spread with the popular condiment. The other characters in the story—a hamburger with a pair of hot dogs in tow, a bowl of alphabet soup, a meatball jumping a rope of spaghetti, a carton of French fries and a pink cupcake—are represented by skillfully crafted models of these foods, anthropomorphized using simple wire construction. Rejected by each character in turn in his search for playmates, Peanut Butter discovers in the end that Jelly is his true match (not Cupcake, as the title suggests), perhaps because she is the only one who looks like him, being a slice of white bread spread with jelly. The friendly foods end up happily playing soccer together. Some parents may have trouble with the unabashedly happy depiction of carbs and American junk food (no carrots or celery sticks in this landscape), and others may find themselves troubled by the implication that friendship across difference is impossible.
Still, preschoolers will likely savor this mouthwatering treatment of a subject that looms large in many early school experiences. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 29, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-399-16773-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2014
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.
A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.
Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593702901
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
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