Finding Solace In Nature

In times of great adversity, the people on this planet tend to seek calm in our natural world.  During the current crisis of a pandemic around the world, the arrival of spring in the northern hemisphere is a welcome declaration of hope.  Despite what is happening in the human world, nature stays the course.  The sighting of a first robin, a sliver of a rainbow or the tips of tulip leaves poking through the dirt send our spirits soaring.

Like spring itself, bursting forth with new life, many March releases in children's literature embrace the wonders of our outdoor environment.  Nesting (Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, March 3, 2020 written and illustrated by Henry Cole focuses on the annual ritual of robins becoming a pair, building a nest and how the hatched eggs grow and prosper to become part of the flock.  A marvelous color palette will fully fascinate readers.

It is an early spring morning.
The ground is covered with frost.
From the branch of an apple tree, 
a robin starts to sing.

He sings a warning to other males and sings an invitation to a nearby female.  Together the new duo finds materials to fashion a nest in a discovered nook.  Completed it provides a place with purpose for the female.

She lays one, two, three, four eggs.  They are a brilliant blue against the nest.  Calmly she cares for those eggs, as the baby birds grow inside.  When they finally hatch, they rely completely on their parents.  They need to be fed and fed and fed some more.  Their parents are busy flying to and from the nest.

This nest shelters the tiny birds from a brief storm.  It harbors them when a sneaky snake wants them for food.  Like fierce warriors the male and female robins chase the intruder away.

Soon feathers form on the babies and they grow, crowding each other out of the nest.  As fledglings they learn to fly and find their own food.  When spring turns to summer and summer turns to autumn the robins prepare for winter and their long flight south.  Even as the snow falls, we know they will return in the spring to chase away males and call for a female to begin the cycle once more.


The beauty of these birds is presented in the simplicity of the language used by Henry Cole.  Each moment in this life cycle is described in careful detail to replicate the scene for readers.  Henry Cole also establishes a rhythm in the use of his words similar to the rhythm of robins in each season. We are very much a part of their lives.  Here is a passage.

The nest is finished.
It is perfect.
It is just the right size and shape.
The mother robin settles into it and sits quietly.


The most striking, visually arresting, aspect of the matching and open dust jacket and book case is between the three robin's eggs and the nest.  If you've ever seen robin's eggs in the wild, Henry Cole has depicted this in stunning reality.  The title text on the jacket is done in copper foil.

To the left, on the back, on a cream background, three baby robins, now with feathers, are struggling to find a spot in the nest.  They have outgrown their home.  On the opening and closing endpapers is a canvas of brilliant robin's egg blue.

The title page is a vast display of the bare branches of a single tree reaching out from left to right on a double-page picture.  The male robin is flying toward it from the lower, right-hand corner.  All the images by Henry Cole are rendered in

Micron pens and acrylic paints.  

For the most part they appear in black and white.  The illustration sizes range from double-page pictures to single-page visuals framed in fine lines, to groupings of smaller images on a single page, a series of vertical panels on two pages or clusters of rectangles on two pages and full-page pictures, edge to edge.  For the slightest bit of shading, the robin's egg blue is sometimes used as spot color.  The most impressive use of this blue is in the eggs.  The delicate lines used by this artist and his details are nearly photographic.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations spans nearly two pages.  It's as if we are looking from the bottom of a tree up to the bird's nest in the nook where is rests.  Leaves swirl in the wind as lightning cuts a jagged edge through the sky.  The nest is firmly in place with the female robin faithfully sitting on the babies to protect them.  This is in black and white.  A column is created on the left by the expanse of the image from left to right crossing the gutter.


As an introduction to spring as a season of rebirth, a study of birds or robins in particular, Nesting written and illustrated by Henry Cole is excellent.  One page at the end is devoted to five more facts about robins in an Author's Note.  I highly recommend this title for your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Henry Cole and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  Henry Cole has an account on Facebook.


There is no doubt about the value of bees as essential elements in world ecology.  Due to their drastic reduction in population, more people have entered the field as keepers of bees.  Kaia and the Bees (Candlewick Press, March 10, 2020) written by Maribeth Boelts with illustrations by Angela Dominguez explores life with a young girl whose father is a beekeeper.

I'm the brave type.
Like hottest-hot-pepper brave.
And furry-spider-in-the-basement brave.

Despite her bold claims, Kaia was not brave around bees.  Being stung once was enough to instill fear in her.  And to make matters worse, her dad, a beekeeper, had thousands of bees in hives on the roof of their building.

Her father, knowledgeable about bees, explained to her their value but she never went with him to the hives.  Did she tell her friends about her fear?  She did not.  They thought she was an expert like her dad until one day her dread was revealed.

Her friends' reaction to her fear made Kaia mad and determined to face her foe.  She donned protective gear and followed her dad, also in a suit, hood and gloves, to the roof.  As her father explained the bees and hives to Kaia her bravery increased.  Then she made the mistake of removing her glove.  Kaia was stung again!  She did not go back to the roof.

Soon it was time to get the honey from the hives.  Kaia, her mother and father worked all day in their kitchen, filling jars with honey.  A quiet conversation with her father, another insect incident and final understanding completes this story of bees and courage, and a parent and their child.


Written with the experience of being a keeper of bees, Maribeth Boelts uses a blend of first person narrative and dialogue to convey Kaia's story.  Each of the characters are realistic in their demeanor so as to connect with readers.  Maribeth Boelts' ability to weave information into the story of Kaia and her fear of bees is outstanding.  Here is a passage.

The honey flows, and I want to draw a picture.
But no crayon is that golden, and you can't draw the smell
of warm, sweet honey filling our apartment.


Kaia's face, deftly portrayed, front and center on the right of the open and matching dust jacket and book case, asks a question of readers.  We want to know why Kaia appears to fear the bees.  We want to know why Kaia is near bees.  The use of purple and golden yellow, complementary colors, is a pleasing design choice.

To the left, on the back, on a purple canvas, Kaia is standing to the left of her father as he lifts a frame of bees from the hive.  Both are wearing beekeeping apparel.  In the upper, left-hand corner is a large portion of honeycomb with two bees working on it.

The opening and closing endpapers are an enlarged honeycomb in rich golden-yellow shades with three bees hard at work.  These three are placed in the corners.  One is coming in from the bottom of the page.

These illustrations by Angela Dominguez rendered with

colored pencil on illustration board, with color added digitally

are as bright and bold as Kaia.  The full-color images on a crisp white background invite readers into the story.  A variety of perspectives and image sizes supplies readers with a captivating and pleasing visual glimpse into facing a fear.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a full-page picture, edge to edge.  On a very pale blue background we are close to Kaia.  With her gloved hands on either side of her face she is facing forward, gazing at a bee drinking water.  You can see she is becoming more relaxed around the bees.  She is excited to see the bee in its own setting.


Kaia and the Bees written by Maribeth Boelts with illustrations by Angela Dominguez is a book to be enjoyed for numerous reasons.  It's a story of bravery.  It's a story of beekeeping.  It's a story of how to care for those who can't care for themselves.  I highly recommend this book for both your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Maribeth Boelts and Angela Dominguez and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their respective websites.  Maribeth Boelts has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Angela Dominguez has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  At the publisher's website and Penguin Random House you can view interior images.  At the publisher's website is an Author's Note you can download and print.  Maribeth Boelts is the guest blogger for March 2020 at The TeachingBooks Blog.  Illustrator Angela Dominguez talks to us about this book in a video.



As children, if we are fortunate, there will be someone young or old who will ignite a spark within us for the natural world.  They will teach us to notice and value every aspect of the landscape around us.  We will learn everything large and small, seen and unseen, has a place.  The Keeper of Wild Words (Chronicle Books, March 10, 2020) written by Brooke Smith with illustrations by Madeline Kloepper presents an affectionate relationship between a grandmother and her granddaughter.  This relationship blooms into an appreciation for and preservation of words and what they represent.

At the end of a long cinder lane,
surrounded by meadows
and pine trees and sky
that wrapped around and back again,

Brook ran up to her grandmother's door,
swung it open,
and she belonged.

On this day she had a request for her grandmother.  Brook needed something for the first day of school, something special for show-and-tell.    Her grandmother had a request of her, too.  Her grandmother, Mimi, was an author.  Mimi had a list of words, words that were disappearing because they were not being used.  She asked Brook to protect these words by being The Keeper of Wild Words.

Mimi showed the list of words to Brook asking her to take a walk, from light until dark to discover the words.  As soon as they began, the first word, WREN, uttered a melody to capture their attention.  Flowers sprang from the ground, fruit grew on prickly vines and seeds from large trees were at her feet.

At a nearby pond tiny MINNOWS and a BEAVER swam.  Herbs around the pond offered a sharp, savory treat as a water bird took flight.  Bright-patterned insects and a bounty of wildflowers fluttered and blanketed her path.

A rare sight of STARLINGS flew in unison where Mimi and Brook rested.  From the meadow into the forest, they walked.  Quietly they moved to cherish the flora and fauna, not disturbing either.  A final sighting, a final word, not only brought the day full circle but gave Brook a loving look at the origin of her name.  That evening a grandmother and her granddaughter paused, remembered and celebrated wild words.


Like the world seen in this book, the words written by Brooke Smith are connected in a constant and enchanting chain.  Each one serves as a priceless piece in a larger whole.  Each time a word is disclosed, the scene is described with poetic joy.  There is a blend of narrative and dialogue making the shared day and evening personal, intimate.  Here is a passage.

POPPIES in the corner of the yard
suddenly popped open!
Paper petals reaching to the sun.


When you open the dust jacket the foreground of the flowers, close to the reader, extends over the spine to the far-left flap (and on the right).  The area on the other side of the path where Brook and Mimi walk also extends over the spine to the flap edges.  Portions of the dandelion floating in the air on the right, float on the left, too.  A tiny butterfly glides on the far left.  By the body language and facial expressions on Brook and Mimi we are aware of their close relationship.  The title text is varnished.

On the book case is a pattern of flowers, ferns, leaves, birds, feathers, animal prints, seeds, and a nest.  They are tiny.  They look as if they have been gathered by a naturalist for safekeeping.

On the opening endpapers Brook, wearing her bicycle helmet, rides past a group of flowers, ferns and shrubs to her grandmother's house.  The verso and title pages are a continuation of this floral design.  A wren is placed on the left.  On the right, the text is written on a piece of notebook paper tucked into the grass.

Each illustration created by Madeline Kloepper using

mixed media and Photoshop

spans two pages, except for two single-page pictures.  At times we are shown a larger, nearly panoramic view and then brought close to the characters in a natural setting for emphasis.  The colors and lines are soft.  The details are delicate.  Even inside Mimi's home we are a part of nature.

One of my many favorite illustrations is when the twosome is first beginning their walk.  On the left, Mimi and Brook have stopped among bunches of violets.  In a closer perspective dozens and dozens of red poppies nod from the right across the gutter to the left.  In the center of this setting a full sun, rays extended, shines.


Not only is The Keeper of Wild Words written by Brooke Smith with illustrations by Madeline Kloepper a tribute to words and our natural world, it is a daily adventure between two like souls.  At the close of the book is a two-page Author's Note.  This is followed by an envelope adhered to the binding in which to store your own wild words.  The closing endpapers feature a notebook paper on the left and items of nature on the right.  This book is a wonderful choice for your personal and professional collections.  It inspires us to write down and seek our own wild words.

To learn more about Madeline Kloepper, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  Madeline Kloepper has an account on Instagram.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images.  At this link you can listen to a portion of the audiobook on SoundCloud.  Courtesy of this video by Let's Talk Picture Books you can view the book case.



The Keeper of Wild Words by Brooke Smith and Madeline Kloepper from Let's Talk Picture Books on Vimeo.


With millions and millions of people around the world currently confined to their homes under a quarantine or because of isolation, the appeal of the outdoor world and being a part of it has more allure than ever.  Why is it we don't fully appreciate the value of something until it's no longer readily available?  During this time some will be able to go solo in parks or designated walkways or neighborhoods, some will dream of days when nature will envelope them again, others will recall countless adventures in the outdoors, and many can travel within the pages of a book.  HIKE (Candlewick Press, March 17, 2020) conceived and illustrated by Pete Oswald is a nearly wordless trek into the best nature has to offer.

We start as the sun starts to rise on a neighborhood in the suburbs.  A dad, still clad in his pajamas and holding a cup of coffee, gently wakes his child up.  Slow to wake, the child suddenly jumps from bed remembering what this day will bring.  The child and their father, dress and pack, and drive from their home, through the city and into the country.

The road takes them higher and higher until they reach a trail head.  Putting on their backpacks, they head up the path into the forest and into the mountains.  They observe birds and wildlife as they are observed in kind.  Pictures are taken, sketches are made and each turn on the trail reveals new fun like a thrown snowball and challenges like crossing a log over a swift river.

After resting and snacking, they continue to climb.  Now wearing helmets, they scale rocks to top a ledge with a spectacular view.  Later, on more level ground, readers will be intrigued to see them pause.  An item is removed from the child's backpack.  A picture as proof is taken.

As shadows lengthen and the sun starts to dip from the sky, the duo reaches their car.  A celebration of their accomplishments is enjoyed before the drive home begins.  The car moves down the mountain, into the city, the suburbs and into their driveway.  Nighttime rituals fill this home with warmth as one final deed of the day chronicles their HIKE.


Pete Oswald has conceived a story of companionship and exploration with memorable achievements in a single day.  He offers, through this book, a means for others to partake in comparable activities.  He shows us how to treat each other and our world with respect and love.


On the matching and open dust jacket and book case, readers gaze in complete admiration at the design of the title with the father and child climbing up the letters.  Small moments in their day are depicted in each letter.  By placing these elements on white our focus is directed at the characters and the title.

To the left, on the back, is a majestic forested mountain scene.  Bald eagles float in a sky wispy with clouds.  The text here reads:

A father and child head out on a hike,
keeping a cherished family tradition alive.

On the opening and closing endpapers in shades of brown is a map of the trip from their home to a star shown in the mountains.  From the opening endpapers a page turn shows the parent and child, dressed and carrying their backpacks, standing side by side with their walking sticks in hand.  The title page, a two-page picture is a bird's eye view of their home with the cityscape and mountains in the background as the sun rises.

Pete Oswald rendered these pictures digitally with the few words, sounds, lettered by hand.  Images are single page, double page, and groups of smaller illustrations to indicate the passage of moments.  Sometimes with a minimum of details a great deal of emotion is conveyed as when we are only shown one hand reaching for another hand after a frightening deed.  Like real life, these glimpses are powerful and meaningful.  We are aware continually of the mood of the child and father through their expressive faces.  In each scene Pete Oswald has captured the rich and rare experience of being a part of nature.  His images are sensory in every aspect.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is a double-page picture.  It is a bird's eye perspective of the father and child walking on the path in the forest.  Tall trees and grass stretch from either side of the path.  Flowers, like stars, are sprinkled throughout the setting.  In the upper left-hand portion of the visual a fox slowly moves.  On the other side of the path, on the left, a female bird perches on a nest with three eggs high in a treetop.  On the right, near the gutter, the male bird brings another twig to the nest.  The duo walks toward the upper, right-hand corner of the page.  You know they walk in silence except for the sounds of the forest.


This book, HIKE conceived and illustrated by Pete Oswald, is a glorious day spent with nature.  To hike in the woods in the mountains is a unique undertaking but to do so with someone you love, it's extraordinary.  This is cleverly and creatively presented by Pete Oswald.  I highly recommend this title for your professional and personal bookshelves.

To learn more about Pete Oswald and his other work, access his website by following the link attached to his name.  Pete Oswald has accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  At the publisher's website and at Penguin Random House you can view interior images.  This title is featured at author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson's Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast and at Mel Schuit's Let's Talk Picture Books.

Buzzworthy Picture Book August 10 for 10 #pb10for10

Six years have come and gone but participating in the annual Picture Book 10 for 10 is a highlight every year for me.  People who love books gather their favorites of a year or favorites revolving around a theme.  This yearly celebration was created by Mandy Robeck and Cathy Mere and we extend to them much gratitude. If this is something in which you would like to participate Cathy explains how it works here.

Some years I agonize about what books to select in general or if there is a important theme.  For my first year, I shared ten plus two of my favorite alphabet books from my personal collection.  (I think it might be time to update that list.)  Many times alphabet books are some of the first books read aloud.  They need to reflect the best kind of writing and illustrations.

In 2013 I shifted toward the best dog books.  My sweet Xena choose those titles from my collection numbering more than two hundred fifty.  That year I used an application called Learni.st to host the choices.  This can now only be accessed by using the app rather than the website.  If you use the app Learni.st and search under Xena the book list, August Ten for Ten Xena's Favorite Dog Books, will appear.

For year three my list revolved around books to be used as companions to my first list. They are about counting and numbers.  Apparently I have a hard time counting as I have eleven titles.

Each year there are books I wish to add to my theme for 2015.  These books bring calm and peace any time of the day but bedtime, sleep and sweet dreams are precious.  Like dinosaurs robots command the attention of many readers.  The interest for them is a constant.  In 2016 I choose titles with robots as main characters.  Last year my attention turned to friendship.  How we model and mirror relationships to the children in our lives leaves lasting impressions.  In this topsy-turvy world we need people whose loyalty is constant.  I selected ten plus one titles.  Spirit Xena and my wild child Mulan each selected a book. (Stopping at ten is not easy for me.  The number thirteen is lucky in this list.)

For 2018 I supply a list which has importance not only to me but for everyone on this planet.  Our honeybees are in trouble.  It's only been this last week, I have seen any at all.  All bees seem to be in a frenzy to gather nectar and pollen.  You can hear their buzz among the wild flowers and in gardens.  These are books I will be sharing with my story time patrons in the next two weeks.  A link attached to most of the titles takes you to my full recommendation.


1.  Buzzy the bumblebee (Sleeping Bear Press, October 1, 1999) written by Denise Brennan-Nelson with illustrations by Michael glenn Monroe

One sunny day, in a beautiful garden, there sat a bumblebee named Buzzy.

Can you imagine believing yourself to be able to do something, having done it every single day of your life, and then to suddenly be told you are incapable of doing it?  This is what happens to Buzzy.  He reads that

"Bumblebees weren't made to fly."

Sitting on top of a flower and how to get down is only his first problem.  He also happens to be far from his home.  What Buzzy discovers is what we all need to discover.

A teacher's guide is provided by the publisher.


2.  The Bear's Song (Chronicle Books, September 17, 2013) written and illustrated by Benjamin Chaud

Deep in his den, Papa Bear starts to snore.  Winter whistles through the forest. Hibernation has begun.

Little Bear is not in the den.  Oh, no.  He is merrily following the sound of a single bee.  Despite his youth, he has learned that a bee will lead him to honey.

With an instinct as old as time, Papa Bear suddenly wakes knowing Little Bear has vacated the premises.  Searching left, searching right; Papa Bear can't get the errant youngster in sight.  From the forest he runs until he finds himself among streets lined with buildings and filled with people, lots of people.

Loaded with details and humor, Little Bear searches for a final seasonal sweet treat as Papa Bear searches for him.


3.  Bees in the City (Tilbury House Publishers, November 17, 2017) written by Andrea Cheng with illustrations by Sarah McMenemy

"Aunt Celine's honey is the best in the world," I say, licking the honey off my fingers.

Papa puts a spoonful of the golden honey into his tea.  "That's because she has the best helper in the world."

If you thought beekeeping is only for those living in the country, this book highlights the story of a boy and his aunt working together to save a hive of bees.  His ingenuity and determination and her willingness to preserve the bees are a winning combination. Friends in his apartment building and supportive adults highlight the advantage of urban beekeeping.  Two pages of author notes further enhance this title.


4.  The Honeybee (Atheneum Books For Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division, May 8, 2018) written by Kirsten Hall with illustrations by Isabelle Arsenault

A field..
A tree.
Climb it and see . . .

Fields of flowers stretch to the horizon.  In the stillness of watching, a soft sound floats on the air.  It's getting closer and louder.  It's like hearing one of the Earth's heartbeats.  It's a honeybee!

Its four wings, two in the front and two in the back, are creating a welcome song.  It searches in circles and loops.  It finally succumbs to the lure of the ultimate flower.  A flower filled with the sweetness of nectar.  First a sip, then the gathering begins.

Marvelous to read for the lovely words and illustrations this book is also a loving tribute to these necessary and amazing creatures.  A final page is a letter Kirsten Hall has written to readers listing the attributes of honeybees and how we can help them.


5. Bee & Me: A Story About Friendship (Old Barn Books, April 7, 2016) written and illustrated by Alison Jay

This story without words is a contemporary fable with a lasting message.  We begin with a wide view of a city scene, as if we are flying above the busy street lined with buildings on either side.  A bee loop de loops into an open window.  Needless to say, it startles a girl reading on her bed much like the bee in the author's studio.

Whether it was destiny or an accident, the arrival of the bee in Alison Jay's studio ignited a story in this nature lover's heart.  From her pen the concept is one of the value of caring for those smaller and in need.  As the bee grows, so does the friendship, blossoming into a shared desire to make their world a better place.

 This book is a heartwarming tale of compassion for each other and our world.  We learn along with the girl the value of every single living thing.  We can see how caring encourages growth.  After the final image, Alison Jay includes a Bee Aware! page listing things to do to help bees and provide them protection and preservation.

6. Please Please the Bees (Albert Whitman & Company, April 11, 2017) written and illustrated by Gerald Kelley

Benedict was a creature of habit.  He liked to do the same thing every day.

His mornings, afternoons and evenings were marked by his favorite meals and beverages.  In-between he could be seen playing his violin, knitting, riding his scooter or reading.  Life was good for this honey-loving bear until it wasn't.

The bees decide to hold a strike.  Benedict's life without honey is not worth considering.  Choices and actions are needed.  This book has several layers which beg for contemplation and discussion after a read aloud.


7.  The King of Bees (Peachtree Publishers, April 1, 2018) written by Lester L. Laminack with illustrations by Jim LaMarche


Henry and Aunt Lilla lived deep in the Lowcountry, where South Carolina reaches out and mingles with the saltwater to form tidal creeks and marshes.  Sometimes Henry felt like the whole world ended at the far edge of that water.

Included in the landscape of Henry's world beyond his home, the garden, hen house and shed were beehives.  For the bees Henry felt a genuine affection.  He longed to help his Aunt with the bees.  She finally agreed he could watch her work.  Clothed in her bee suit, wearing her hat with a net and keeping the smoker nearby, she spoke softly to them.

An impending danger puts Henry in a position to help but he can't foresee the results.  This title is for one-on-one reading or reading to a group.  It speaks to the love of family and of nature. In an author's note Lester L. Laminack talks about the premise for this book and his lifelong attraction to bees.


8.  The Bee Tree (Philomel Books, April 21, 1993) written and illustrated by Patricia Polacco

"I'm tired of reading, Grampa."  Mary Ellen sighed.  "I'd rather be outdoors running and playing."

"So you don't feel like reading, eh?  Feel like running, do you? Then I expect this is just the right time to find a bee tree!"  he said, taking down a jar and putting on his lucky hat.

The duo are outdoors in no time at all collecting three bees in the jar.  When the first is let out, they take off running to follow it.  As they weave their way through town, first one, then another person starts to follow them.  Soon a group is as eager as they are for the taste of honey.  You might be surprised what Grampa does at the close of the day but his answer will have your reader's heart soaring like a bee going home.


9.  Bear and Bee (Disney Hyperion, March 12, 2013) written and illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier

This title shows how the right amount of understanding can fill more than an empty stomach.

Moving about as the snow melts, putting on his red sandals, Bear gets ready to venture out.  By the time he leaves his cozy den, stretching to greet the sunny day, flowers are blooming among the green grasses. A treat is hanging from a nearby tree branch.

"I'm hungry," says Bear.

There is one key thing keeping Bear from going to the tree.  Even though he has never seen a bee, he fears them.  Ensuing conversations between Bear and Bee slowly reveal the truth.  This is a truly huggable book about the relationship, real and imagined, between two of Earth's valued creatures.


10. Honey (Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, March 27, 2018) written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein

It was his second year.
"I'm back!" he said.

After his long winter nap, Bear was hungry.  As he was looking for a meal or even a snack, his mind thought of honey.  Every single aspect of honey, every descriptive phrase, floated through his conscience.  He had to have honey!

As we follow Bear from place to place, activity to activity, throughout the summer we come to understand his desire for finding honey.  David's depictions of Bear will find a place in your heart.  His words will have you reaching for the nearest jar of honey and longing just a little bit more for the soothing days of summer.


It's been a hot and dry summer here and for many places in our country and continent but it is a season necessary for the cycle of life.  I hope these books will promote discussions and research.  I hope these books will have all of us working a little bit harder for bees, especially honeybees.  Happy reading to all of you.

Listen For The Hum. Listen For The Buzz.

It's still early here in northern Michigan.  A frost advisory was issued for Sunday night into Monday morning.  The hyacinths have come and gone but the daffodils and tulips are still blooming.  Many of the fruit trees are blossoming but the buds on the lilacs are still tiny and closed.  Some of the peonies have large rounded globes waiting for more water and heat before opening.

Still missing is the steady, singular hum of honeybees moving from flower to flower.  Seeing them is becoming far more exciting than sighting the first birds.  Seeing them means much to life on our planet.  The Honeybee (Atheneum Books For Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division, May 8, 2018) written by Kirsten Hall with illustrations by Isabelle Arsenault enlightens us as to the daily valuable work of these busy insects.

A field..
A tree.
Climb it and see . . .

Fields of flowers stretch to the horizon.  In the stillness of watching, a soft sound floats on the air.  It's getting closer and louder.  It's like hearing one of the Earth's heartbeats.  It's a honeybee!

Its four wings, two in the front and two in the back, are creating a welcome song.  It searches in circles and loops.  It finally succumbs to the lure of the ultimate flower.  A flower filled with the sweetness of nectar.  First a sip, then the gathering begins.

The pollen hanging like tiny golden baskets from the bee are carried back to the hive.  A conversation and a dance take place with information exchanged.  The pollen, laden with nectar, is chewed and chewed and chewed until it's thick and gooey.

This thick and gooey goo is stuffed into the honeycomb cells.  Four wings on multiple bees flutter like fans to cool and dry those stuffed honeycomb cells.  At last the bees have HONEY!

Spring and summer sun pass and autumn coolness arrives.  A queen beckons to her workers.  Winter descends and residents of the hive rest.  They rest and move to protect the queen, sure in the knowledge when spring comes, their task begins anew.


The words of Kirsten Hall are as if she is holding out her hand, asking us to take a walk with her.  It's a whispered conversation inviting our participation.  Their melodious rhythm and gentle rhyming bring us with admiration into the world of the honeybee.  Here is a passage.

This is the flower the bee has chosen.
This is the flower the pollen grows in.
This is the flower, its color so bright,
its sweet blooming scent calls the fee from its flight.


Rendered using ink, gouache, pencil, and colored pencil by Isabelle Arsenault the illustrations throughout but beginning on the opened dust jacket will delight and invite.  Various hues of golden yellow are prevalent.  The shades of blue, green, red and pink create a harmonious blend.  The honeybee winging its way across the top looks as if he is asking us to follow.  To the left, on the back, the same worker in a field of soft golden yellow is pushing a huge globe of goo toward a honeycomb.  A look of accomplishment is evident in its facial features.  Spot varnish is used on both the front and the back of the jacket.  The honeybee feels fuzzy when touched.

The opened book case covered in deep orange, golden yellow shows the dotted, looping path of the honeybee from left across the spine to the right.  In the upper, right-hand corner it looks at us, smiling.  The opening and closing endpapers are done in a pattern of large black and yellow bands, like a honeybee's body.

Beneath the text on the title page the field of flowers extends from left to right in softer tones.  Isabelle shifts from images spanning two pages to single pages and then to a cluster of four smaller pictures.  She replicates and enhances the movement of the narrative with her illustrations.

We are among the flowers zooming in and out of plants.  We sit among the petals sipping nectar and collecting pollen.  Then we buzz into the darkness of the hive, completing the task and making the honey.  As the seasons shift we enjoy every change with the honeybee.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is inside the hive.  The background is a shadowed black.  It is a single page visual.  Two honeybees are speaking to "our" honeybee.   Larger than life they are asking questions and looking at us.  Every detail is delicate and delightful.  It looks as though they are wearing high white collars tied with a bow.  One of the honeybees is carrying a blue flower and the other is leaning toward the newly arrived, pollen-laden honeybee.


Marvelous to read for the lovely words and illustrations The Honeybee written by Kirsten Hall with illustrations by Isabelle Arsenault is also a loving tribute to these necessary and amazing creatures.  A final page is a letter Kirsten Hall has written to readers listing the attributes of honeybees and how we can help them.  I am already planning on using this book with fiction and nonfiction titles referencing honeybees and bees.  Some titles I will use are Bee & Me, Honey, Please Please the Bees, Bear and Bee, and The Case of the Vanishing Honeybee.  I highly recommend The Honeybee for your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Kirsten Hall and Isabelle Arsenault please visit their websites by following the links attached to their names.  Isabelle has an account on Instagram.  At the publisher's website you can view interior pages.  School Library Journal includes this title with other books in a post The Buzz on Bees | The Hive, The Honey, The Hope.  Four years ago Kirsten Hall was interviewed on As The Eraser Burns.