Earth Week 2021 #2

Sometimes, the smallest living beings on our planet have one of the greatest impacts.  Our world, our Earth, would struggle greatly without their presence.  They are directly responsible for the growth of food keeping a multitude of individuals alive.  In fact, they produce food necessary and enjoyed by countless others.

Bees are an essential link in the chain of survival on a global level.  On December 20, 2017, at the United Nations, May 20 was designated as World Bee Day.  Bruno the Beekeeper: A Honey Primer (Candlewick Press, March 2, 2021) written and illustrated by Aneta Frantiska Holasova (translated from Czech by Andrew Lass) presents information about the aspects of different bees residing in beekeeping hives, the hives, and beekeepers.  It follows the work of Bruno through four seasons of beekeeping.  

Preface

In his heart and soul, Bruno is a beekeeper.  But how did it all begin?  When he was still a small bear, he enjoyed a carefree life full of mischief and fun, as is usually the case with little bears.  He used a slingshot, he wandered outdoors, and he played in the forest, where he much preferred to be rather than in school.  

Life had other plans for Bruno; he was gifted through inheritance with his grandfather's bees.  These bees, we are told, are like other flying insects, but each of three kinds have specific tasks.  We learn of worker bees, drones, and queen bees.  Diagrams explain their anatomy.  Words and pictures clarify their development.

The four main parts of a hive are discussed, as is beekeeper garb.  We are warned of those creatures prone to attacking bees and their way of life.  Next, we step, season by season, into the realm of Bruno's beekeeping.

In late summer and autumn, Bruno prepares the bees and the hives for winter.  Every item, supers and combs, is carefully cleaned and stored.  Beeswax and propolis are removed.  Grandma helps Bruno make new food for the bees' feast during winter.  Did you know beekeepers listen to their hives in the winter to know they are safe?  During winter months, Bruno and Grandma work to repair portions of the hive and build new ones prior to spring.

With spring comes flowers and a special food for the bees made by Bruno.  What do you think it is?  (You'll never guess.)  The queen is gently marked.  Those objects previously removed are returned to their positions in the hives.  Let the swarming start!  It is now summer.  Honey harvesting is meticulously done in earnest.  Bruno and Grandma enjoy the fruits of the bees' labors and their own.

With the preface supplied by Aneta Frantiska Holasova, we begin to shadow Bruno in his world of beekeeping.  First, short paragraphs and well-labeled pictures inform us of the facts about the tiny creatures about to become an intimate part of Bruno's life.  It's like when doing research before you try a new endeavor.  During each of the seasons, a conversational narrative takes us through each of the steps needed in caring for the bees and hives.  At times, the focus is on a particular portion of that management.  Other times, we follow the process for using beeswax, propolis, or the honey.  Here is a passage.

Removing the Supers

In late summer, Bruno the beekeeper removes the

supers from the hives and prepares them for the

next year.  He must work very carefully and clean

all the supers of the bits and pieces of old wax

and propolis.  When he's finished, he places them 

in the honey house.  It is dry in there, and mice 

can't get to them.

The back and front of the open book case give readers a first look at the warm and glowing color palette used by Aneta Frantiska Holasova, as well as the intricate details prevalent in all her images.  All the elements on the front, right, are varnished except for the text.  To the left of the spine, we find a blurb and author information above three small pictures of Bruno at work with his hives.

A crisp white covers the opening and closing endpapers.  On the first set, on the left side is a single hive.  Swarming from the hive is a cloud of bees which weave off the far-right side.  On the second set, the swarm continues to the middle of the right side.  Here a single bee is leading as the group moves higher and higher.

Bees dot the pages before the title page.  Here Bruno moves a part of the hive as bees keep him company.  These watercolor pictures by Aneta Frantiska Holasova are delicate, exquisite, and enchanting while being informative.  When facts are given about insects, flowers, and pests, it is as if we are reading scientific journals.  The diagrams are fantastic.  Careful readers will notice, though, some humor tucked in other places.  

When Bruno is engaged in his beekeeping activities there is a combination of single-page illustrations with smaller explanatory pictures.  We are given varying perspectives depending on the undertaking.  For each of the seasonal divisions there are colorful pastoral scenes. There are multiple images without words.

One of my favorite combination of pictures is for the text titled Listening to the Bees.  On the left side are three panels, one large and two smaller squares on either side of the text.  To the right is a full-page visual.  On the top of the left, Bruno sleeps in his bed, hugging his teddy bear.  His feet extend past the covers.  On the floor is a large jar of honey, his socks, pants, slippers, and a curled furry companion beneath his bed.  Next to him on a table is a clock counting down the seasons.  It points to winter.  It is featured, closer, in one of the square images.  On the wall is a bee portrait.  In the second square illustration, Bruno is awake and stretching.  In the full-page image on the right, Bruno is shown outside as snow falls.  He is listening to the hives with a special tube.

Readers will immediately establish a connection with this beekeeping bear as he protects and provides for his bees.  In Bruno the Beekeeper: A Honey Primer written and illustrated by Aneta Frantiska Holasova, readers will increase their understanding of bees and the work entailed in becoming proficient beekeepers.  This is certain to promote discussions about the value of bees and our part in assisting in their continuation.  I highly recommend this title for both your professional and personal collections.

Aneta Frantiska Holasova has an account on Instagram.  At Penguin Random House you can view interior images.  

Last month a new title was added to a stellar series.  In the first three books, If Sharks Disappeared, 2017, If Polar Bears Disappeared, 2018 and If Elephants Disappeared, 2019, we discovered how valuable each specie is to the existence of all other species. If Bees Disappeared (Roaring Brook Press, March 16, 2021) written and illustrated by Lily Williams stresses the urgency necessary to protect bees, all more than 20,000 species! 

THIS IS KENT, A HISTORIC COUNTY IN THE UNITED KINGDOM.

Kent is known as the "Garden of England" for its rolling hills and lush landscapes.  The creatures that live here are

     fluffy,

         sneaky,

             spiky, and . . .

They are small, but mighty in their purpose.  We discover bees are a keystone species.  In a word, they are essential.  Did you know honeybees appeared about 35 million years ago?  Bees are pollinator champions, the best in the world.

Wow!  

Honeybees are considered a superorganism.

Each of the inhabitants in the hive cannot survive without the others.  The queen, the drones, and the worker bees (females) have individual parts to play.  Honeybees have a huge problem, Colony Collapse Disorder.  Entire hives die together for several reasons, like pesticides and dwindling habitats.  

If we were to suffer the loss of bees, all the plants they pollinate would be gone or drastically change.  Would you want your favorite fruits to disappear?  The birds which rely on these fruits for food would vanish, as would the larger birds that rely on them for meals.  Without birds, pest populations would increase.  This is a grim possible future.

The effects would be global.  Everything we now have, plants, animals, food, and landscapes would be greatly altered.  Pause for a moment to consider what you eat, how plants provide for us in other areas other than food (medicine), or a world absent of birdsong.  It is with gratitude the plight of bees is newsworthy, and there are those striving to keep them thriving.

As this narrative unfolds, you can hardly turn the pages fast enough to learn about the impact bees have on our world.  Lily Williams through her research accurately and completely builds, connection by connection, the history of bees, honeybees, how hives work and the dangers to them.  A gentle tension increases as she presents the domino effect of their loss to other plants and animals.  With pacing and page turns, she introduces with a repetitive phrase very real scenarios.  Paragraphs end with a declarative sentence which is used in the next If.  Here is a passage.

If honeybee pollination disappeared . . . (page turn)

favorite foods like apples, blueberries, avocados,

almonds, chocolate, and coffee would become rarer.

Fruits are important to many people's diets.

The vibrant display of flowers on the right, front, spans over the spine and to the left edge of the back on the matching and open dust jacket and book case.  The title text and the large bee on the right are varnished.  The dotted lines around the bee indicate bees' disappearance.

The purple and yellow daisy-like flowers are larger on the back with a delicate blue butterfly resting on one.  A large sunflower fills the upper and middle portion of the left side.  A honeybee is in the center.  Another flying insect buzzes across the top. 

On the opening and closing endpapers, each one different, are PLANTS HONEYBEES LOVE.  In full color they are placed on a light golden yellow canvas.  Each one is labeled with its common name.

A double-page picture fills the verso and title pages.  The children from the front are with an adult gardener in the English countryside.  Artist Lily Williams includes elements in this scene favorable to bees.  Will readers be able to identify the "house" on one of the fenceposts?

These illustrations 

created digitally in Photoshop

are animated and engaging.  We are treated to double-page scenic pastoral views and double-page closeups of a bee among flowers.  A widening ribbon, on two pages, filled with all kinds of labeled bees leads to honeybees.  On one of the double-page images, Lily Williams includes smaller enlargements of sections of a hive.  As the loss possibilities are presented the colors deepen.  In the final pages, with hope offered, the hues brighten again, leading us to the final fabulous closeup.

One of my many favorite pictures is a closeup of a bee zipping into a floral garden.  We are at eye level with this tiny being.  A glorious array of flowers in pinks, yellows, blues, and numerous shades of green is spread before us.  Slightly right of the gutter is an expanding glow from the shining sun.  This image is so inviting you want to lie in the grass, smell the flowers, and watch the honeybee.

This fourth book, If Bees Disappeared written and illustrated by Lily Williams, in this important collection will have readers eager to do what they can to make sure bees are with us for a very long time.  On the final four pages Lily Williams includes, sections titled Glossary, Honeybees Are In Trouble, How You Can Help Save Bees, Author's Note, Acknowledgments, Bibliography and Additional Sources.  I highly recommend this title for your professional and personal bookshelves.

To learn more about Lily Williams and her other work, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  At her website you can view some of her marvelous two-page pictures for this book.  Lily Williams has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and YouTube.  At the publisher's website you can view other interior illustrations. 

In Their Thundering Footsteps Our Future Lies

There will be times when the title of a book alone brings you to tears.  The thought of the words becoming a reality is too painful to envision.  As a child you believed you might never see certain animals because they lived on continents or habitats far removed from yours.  As a much older adult you know you might never see them because they have gone extinct . . . because of humans, their greatest threat.

This coming Friday, September 20, 2019 and next Friday, September 27, 2019 mark the Global Climate Strike where young people are inviting everyone to participate.  Our planet and all its inhabitants are in trouble.  In the third book in her series (If Sharks Disappeared Roaring Brook Press, May 23, 2017 and If Polar Bears Disappeared Roaring Brook Press, August 28, 2018) author illustrator Lily Williams shifts her focus to one of the largest land mammals. If Elephants Disappeared (Roaring Brook Press, August 17, 2019) addresses in a frank, easy-to-understand narrative how vital these creatures are to one essential environment, the tropical rain forest.

THIS IS THE CONGO BASIN FOREST.  It's a
complex ecosystem filled with many different
types of landscapes, plants, and animals.

A variety of animals live here but one of the smallest of the largest land animals is the African forest elephant.  As the smallest it still can rise to ten feet tall and weigh a staggering 11,000 pounds.  They are known as a keystone species.  Every single thing they do affects their habitat.  If they're gone, the tropical rain forests in Africa would be altered into something entirely different.

Did you know these elephants eat hundreds of pounds of food every day?  Did you know they can walk thousands of miles each year to find food and water?  Their poop, dung, holds a multitude of seeds which repopulates the flora of tropical rain forests in Africa increasing the biodiversity as they move from place to place.

It's shocking to note that from 2001 to 2018 sixty-two percent (62%) of their population has diminished mainly due to poaching. 

In a carefully explained chain of events, we read if they disappeared, their dung which fertilizes the seeds it carries would disappear.  Without the array of plants certain animals wouldn't have food to eat or homes.  Without these over 40 species of plants, big trees would rule the landscape, changing the entire habitat.  Now the tropical rain forest is truly in jeopardy.  With no plant diversity or animals, what do you think happens next?

When one ecosystem fails, it spreads to others.  Our entire planet would feel the absence.  In closing we are reminded elephants are still found in the African tropical rain forests, but we need to raise our voices to protect and preserve them.  We are all connected.


The technique used by Lily Williams to provide facts is meticulously clear.  She begins with an overview of elephants, even briefly describing their evolution, and then proceeds with their place as a keystone specie, how they eat and the value of their dung.  After speaking about their shrinking population, she starts a series of paragraphs paced as page turns and ending with the words if _____ disappeared.  This adds an engaging rhythm while informing readers, leading us to the startling but truthful premise based on scientific evidence.  Her concluding pages supply readers with hope and encouragement.  Here is a passage.

If plant biodiversity disappeared . . .  (page turn)

the large trees would take over the forest.  Though large trees reduce harmful greenhouse gases in the atmosphere by capturing carbon in the air and storing it, they also depend on fast-growing smaller plants to create biodiversity in the forest.  Larger trees would dominate the forest, crowding out space for themselves and other species.  The change in plant life would affect the forest soil, causing erosion, flooding, and even differences in the amount of rainfall the area gets.


Upon opening the matching dust jacket and book case the rain forest location moves first to the right flap edge and then over the spine and to the left flap edge.  This expanse draws us into the experience with the featured children, not only here but on other pages within the book.  Lily Williams has etched an outline around the elephant to indicate its possible disappearance.  Here shades of green in the variety of plants and trees and brightly hued small insects create a credible atmosphere.

To the left, on the back two smaller elephants, also outlined in white, follow the adult.  A snake hangs from a tree branch.  On the left end flap a group of elephants walks in the distance.

On the opening and closing endpapers a spectacular view is shown.  Everything is in black except for the water and sky.  Shades of pink, orange, yellow and a bit of white color those spaces.  Edging the water are hills and the rain forest.  On the left a tree and plants provide framing.  In the water the adult elephant leads the two smaller ones, trunks to tails, connected in security.

Each page turn reveals a two-page picture with shifts in perspective.  We are dazzled by a birds-eye view of elephants making their way through the forest and a close-up of an elephant's head.  Readers will find themselves looking at additional details and smaller elements in the images.  They will enjoy the tiny bit of humor, too.

One of my many favorite illustrations is for the text quoted previously.  In a series of panels of the same area, which looks like a continuous picture, the changes by the lack of plant biodiversity are obvious.  As your eyes move from left to right, animals and plants except for the large trees vanish.  Little if any light gets through the treetops.  You can almost hear the lack of life, a stifling silence.


Essential for all personal and professional collections, If Elephants Disappeared written and illustrated by Lily Williams will linger in all readers' minds long after the book is read.  Lily Williams includes a Glossary, All Elephants Are In Trouble, Tropical Forests, How You Can Help Save Elephants, Author's Note, Acknowledgements, Bibliography and Additional Sources on four final pages.  They are wonderfully conversational.  You could pair this title with How To Be An Elephant: Growing Up in the African Wild (David Macaulay Studio, Roaring Brook Press, September 19, 2017) written and illustrated by Katherine Roy or The Elephant (Enchanted Lion Books, September 25, 2018) written and illustrated by Jenni Desmond.

To learn more about Lily Williams and her other work, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  Lily Williams has accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  At her site and the publisher's website you can view interior images.  You might like this article in Publishers Weekly titled Lily Williams Continues Her Environmental Mission.


For more nonfiction titles, be sure to visit Kid Lit Frenzy hosted by educator Alyson Beecher to see what other participants in the 2019 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge have chosen this week.

Gone Forever

In our region of northern Michigan, the two worst storms of winter 2017-2018 arrived in April.  This was followed by a summer leaving us categorized with severe drought.  Then the rains came in September . . . for weeks.  On the heels of this non-stop rain, our first snow arrived on November 10, 2018 and it's here to stay.  The seasons of my childhood and early adulthood are no longer present.  Our resilient but fragile planet and its inhabitants are in danger.  The National Snow & Ice Data Center recorded in October 2018 the third lowest extent of ice in the Arctic region between the dates of 1979 and 2018 according to satellite records.

The 12 lowest September ice extents over the satellite record have all occurred since 2007.

If Polar Bears Disappeared (Roaring Brook Press, August 28, 2018) written and illustrated by Lily Williams discusses polar bears, other Arctic animals and their habitats.  More importantly this is tied to the current and future state of sea ice in the region.  Lily Williams clearly presents how all areas and life on this Earth are critically tied together.

THIS IS THE ARCTIC.  It's an ecosystem in the far northern region of the globe.  

Of the limited animals residing here, they've adapted to the conditions.  One of these creatures is the polar bear.  Descended from brown bears it changed its habits (and its color) to revolve around sea ice. Sea ice is essential for food (and travel and reproduction.) The lack of sea ice and thus, food, for polar bears creates a ripple effect.

Without polar bears the population of ringed seals, their main entree, would rise but they would soon find themselves in the same position, without any sea ice, as polar bears.  Orcas, like polar bears, feast on seals.  Without sea ice access is easier but the numbers of seals would drastically decline.  Forced to move south for food, the presence of orcas would be problematic for other large predators.

Sea ice shields the landscape from the sun.  The increase in heat would be devastating for plant life.  Animals needing plants for food, like caribou, would suffer.  Land animals who rely on snow for shelter and protection would be victims of these new conditions.  Patterns in the lives of birds would not be maintained without their food, insects.  Everything is tied together.

With the sea ice gone the effects would spread from ecosystem to ecosystem around the world.  Can we save polar bears? Is there a possibility of stopping this?  Yes!  We are not alone in our desire to save these majestic beings.  Great minds are at work.  Read. Search. Act.


For her intended audience (for all of us) Lily Williams writes with clarity.  Her facts and explanations reveal knowledge born of careful research.  Each portion of her narrative is connected to the next with a repetitive phrase.  Although the presented possibilities are frightening, we are given direction and hope.  Here are several passages.

Without enough snow, subnivean
mammals like lemmings, who make
their dens in the snow, would lose
their homes,
exposing them to the harsh
weather and predators, and
decreasing their populations.

With many of the herbivores gone, non-apex
predators such as the snowy owl and Arctic
fox would be the next to lose their main
food sources.


The limited color palette on the opened and matching dust jacket and book case is reflective of the Arctic region and its inhabitants.  The hues of blue and the stark white depict the frigid temperatures and the harshness of the sea and landscape.  It also allows for the startling contrast of red in the title text and the dotted lines around the polar bear.    On the front two characters, seen exploring and learning about the region throughout the book, are introduced.

To the left, on the back, two small cubs on the extended sea ice are outlined in red.  Three seals are featured above them.  In the far distance a large group of animals gather.  The opening and closing endpapers are a breathtaking vista of the northern lights; an upward swirl of greens and purples.  Along the bottom three smaller black figures stand; the three polar bears.

Double-page pictures beginning with the title and verso pages take readers into the Arctic.  The two girls and adult woman on a four-wheeler are buzzing over the snow.  Each illustration elevates the text with a visual interpretation.  Four of the pages contain a grouping of smaller images to coincide with the narrative.  When necessary Lily Williams labels elements in the pictures; names of animals in cross-sections under the snow and how the sun is reflected or absorbed on sea ice or the water.

One of my favorite illustrations is toward the conclusion.  It is a view of mountains of snow and ice.  In the foreground dusk is settling.  Between two peaks the dying rays of the sun shed a pale peach light.  Along the bottom on the left, close to readers, are the two girls and the woman.  They are watching the polar bear and two cubs in the distance.  The cubs are playing. This image leads to the final picture, one filled with hope.


Informative words and illustrations contribute to the power found in If Polar Bears Disappeared written and illustrated by Lily Williams.  At the end of the book readers will find a glossary, passages titled The Arctic Is In Trouble and How You Can Help Save Polar Bears, an author's note, acknowledgements, a bibliography and additional sources.  This back matter is welcome and important to readers.  I highly recommend you include a copy of this title in your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Lily Williams and her other work, please visit her website by following the link attached to her name.  At a publisher's website you can view eight interior images.  Lily Williams maintains an account on Twitter, and Instagram.  Lily Williams and her editor, Emily Feinberg chat with teacher librarian Matthew Winner on The Children's Book Podcast.