BECAUSE OF A BEE

A graphically striking, deceptively simple hymn to pollinators.

“Because of a bee,” begins Schaefer, “a strawberry.” The first phrase appears on the verso of a double-page spread depicting stylized bees flitting among strawberry blossoms; they trail little puffs of pollen in their wakes. As each page is turned, listeners will notice that many of the bees’ beige, teardrop-shaped wings are actually cutouts through which the next spread’s beige-colored background peeks. Once the page turn is complete, those wings become the seeds of a huge, page-dominating ripe strawberry bearing the label “a strawberry.”  Opposite this is printed the beginning of the next causal sentence: “Because of a strawberry”; with the turn of the page, listeners learn that the next link in the chain is “a butterfly.” Thus, Schaefer and Sanna escort their audience through a panoply of pollinators and the plants they both rely on and benefit. Among the former: aphids, hummingbirds, flies; among the latter: celery, avocados, radishes. The peekaboo effect of the die cuts reinforces the interdependence of all the players in the creation of “a feast.” Four pages of backmatter cover the concept of keystone species and the diversity among pollinators, with additional information on each animal or plant highlighted in the primary text.

Ideal for introducing young preschoolers to the web of life around them.