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BUGZEE AND THE BEES

Name: BUGZEE AND THE BEES
Author: Nocola Williams
ISBN: 9798396752795

by Nocola Williams ; illustrated by Tyrus Goshay ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A

A charming introduction to beekeeping that needs further elaboration on bees’ environmental importance.

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Williams explores backyard beekeeping in this illustrated children’s book.

Readers meet a boy nicknamed “Bugzee” for his love of all things related to insects. Bugzee knows a lot about bees thanks to a backyard apiary where his grandparents tend to honeybees. He can’t get too close, because he doesn’t have a beekeeping suit; instead, he watches the action through binoculars from his “honeybee headquarters” in the greenhouse. Bugzee is excited about a new package of bees arriving soon. His grandmother asks him to help with the bee boxes and frames, where the bees build their honeycomb and the queen lays her eggs. A sidebar explains that beehives typically have one queen bee, hundreds of drones, and thousands of worker bees. The queen bee lays all the fertilized eggs for the hive—up to 1 million in her lifetime. The drones are male and do not have stingers; their job is to mate with queens from other hives. The worker bees are female and tend to the housekeeping, feed the babies, make wax, and collect pollen and nectar. Bugzee’s mom informs him that a garden of native plants will be a source of nectar and pollen for the bees. In the final scene, Bugzee opens a box to find a new beekeeping suit. “I can’t wait to help take care of my very own hive!” he exclaims. This engaging children’s book balances narrative and nonfiction deftly, juxtaposing Bugzee’s scenes with sections of facts about beekeeping (including photographs). Williams simplifies complex bee-related concepts, like defining an apiary as a “bee yard” where “human-made beehives are located.” Unfortunately, while the story stresses that “We must do what we can to protect all species of bees because they play a vital role in ecosystems around the world,” it is not fully explained exactly how bees help the environment. Goshay’s bold digital illustrations incorporate the honeycombs’ hexagonal designs and golden hues while also emphasizing the characters’ faces, effectively conveying the family’s enthusiasm.

A charming introduction to beekeeping that needs further elaboration on bees’ environmental importance.

Pub Date: N/A

ISBN: 9798396752795

Page Count: -

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: July 2, 2025

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

PETE THE CAT'S 12 GROOVY DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

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PETE THE CAT'S 12 GROOVY DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

by James Dean ; illustrated by James Dean ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 18, 2018

Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among

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Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.

If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”

Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018

ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

- BOOK REVIEW
PETE THE KITTY AND THE BEANSTALK
by James Dean & Kimberly Dean ; illustrated by James Dean

- BOOK REVIEW
PETE THE KITTY'S FIRST DAY OF PRESCHOOL
by Kimberly Dean ; illustrated by James Dean

- BOOK REVIEW
I LOVE PETE THE KITTY
by James Dean & Kimberly Dean ; illustrated by James Dean

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WILL THE PIGEON GRADUATE?

From the Pigeon series

by Mo Willems ; illustrated by Mo Willems ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 4, 2025

An earnest graduation gift: sweet for lifelong fans, cheerfully encouraging for striving, future graduates.

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Success comes at last for the bright-eyed Pigeon.

A clever, tongue-in-cheek ersatz colophon reveals that this graduate has been awarded a “Master of Ornery-thology, Bachelor of Arts of Persuasion with a Minor in Major Freak-outs (summa cum loudly).” Fans will be glad that the Pigeon’s tireless, abundant optimism is finally being ceremoniously recognized. On the cover, the Pigeon wears a mortarboard at a jaunty angle, commenting, “I have the hat!” Of course, dressing the part is essential. But also, “I did the work. I paid attention to the little details. I took some BIG steps.” The Pigeon encountered obstacles (not shown, but many memorable ones will come to mind for the Pigeon's followers). And the Pigeon is plagued by worries familiar to many students who are about to graduate: “WHAT WILL HAPPEN THEN?!? What will I do? Who will I be?” The Pigeon appears in every frame, in close-ups and in poses variously thoughtful, confident, or slightly distressed. Our hero’s simple big eyes and wings are, as ever, remarkably expressive. “Oop!” In one scene, while walking off the dais, diploma in wing, the Pigeon comes to what seems like the edge of a chasm. At last, our hero takes flight with other graduates. Willems' popular characters Gerald and Piggie are there to look on admiringly.

An earnest graduation gift: sweet for lifelong fans, cheerfully encouraging for striving, future graduates. (Picture book. 3-7)