Review by Booklist Review
Employing rhyming text and vibrant illustrations--and some busy bees--this title introduces colors, counting, and apiary activities in an engaging fashion. "One little bee peeks out to see / a world of gray and snow. / She's looking for bright colors. / And she needs you to help them grow." With spring's arrival, a range of colors, with correspondingly hued backgrounds and flower types, appears--orange tulips, blue hyacinths, and so on--as do an increasing number of bees for readers to find in each illustration. Eventually, flowers give way to colorful fruits, thanks to the bees' endeavors. An inviting mix of watercolors and collage creates simplified looks at plants and bees, as cheerful, reader-directed prose injects a playfulness ("please brush the snow / off the budding camellia trees") to this bouncy lesson on pollination. Some terms may be complex or less familiar (foraging, indigo), and the text's rhythm and rhyme schemes can lack flow. Nonetheless, on multiple levels, there's plenty to delight young ones here. An endnote specifically focuses on bees, their characteristics, and their contributions to nature.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2--Told in rhyming couplets, this engaging concept book shows young children how people and bees can benefit each other. The seven colors of the rainbow are introduced as youngsters search for up to ten bees hidden in the cheerful, brightly-colored illustrations. "First, please brush the snow off the budding camellia trees," "point to the crocus shoots," and "blow a kiss to the lovely lilac trees" are instructions for readers. Trees, flowers, and shrubs are labeled throughout the book as a simple beginner plant identification guide. At one point, the story stops for a shower: "The bees don't like the rain, but it's important for the flowers." The book concludes with a brief informational section about bees and their activities. VERDICT Use this title with Lois Ehlert's Planting a Rainbow and Jorey Hurley's Beehive for a charming and interactive story hour.--Maryann H. Owen, Oak Creek P.L., WI
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
This color/counting/concept book will have young readers buzzing. Following a bee as she emerges from the hollow of a tree and visits a nearby garden full of flowers and fruit trees, readers will learn a lot about both nature and essential concepts. Starting with red tulips, the honeybee is joined by nine of her sisters as they visit a range of flowers and colors in rainbow order. With each new visit, readers are encouraged to perform a small kinetic act to advance the action before the page turn: wipe snow off a blossom, wave the bees onward, blow away some rain drops, etc. Experienced educators and librarians will use these time-honored tricks to turn this into a memorable and active experience, and the directions are so straightforward that an untrained caregiver or new reader will be able to take full advantage of the book during a lap-read too. Once the work with the flowers is done, the bees are off to the fruit trees and bushes, where the book allows readers to engage in a conversation about healthy fruits and how they're grown. The watercolor-and-collage illustrations deftly support the text, and bright, full-page color that backgrounds text as each new flower is introduced is bold enough to be seen from the back of the room. Additional backmatter expands on the role of honeybees. This book is sweeter than honey. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
