Melita Morales is an art educator, artist, performing arts
presenter, and art house curator. She holds degrees in art and
secondary school education and
teaches art at Marin County Day School. About her first books, she
writes: "I often watch students and adults jump up from a picnic
and sprint away from
food to escape a buzzing bee. The book arose from an understanding
that bees are critical to our biodiversity. Besides that, they give
us the delicious treat of honey!" This is her first book.
Laura J. Bryant was born and raised in south Florida and attended
The Maryland Institute College of Art. Laura has illustrated
numerous books including Tractor Day, Kitty Cat Kitty Cat Are You
Waking Up? and the best-selling book, God Gave Us You. Her books
have garnered a number of awards including the Bank Street College
Best Book of the Year (3 times).
PreS-This rhyming story about a girl and a bee starts with "The Girl": "I'm going to pick berries,/all by myself,/enough to fill the bucket/high on the shelf." She heads down a city street (followed by her watchful mom) to what appears to be a community garden, picks the fruit, meets the bee, and heads home to make jam. The second part, "The Bee," follows the same pattern from the insect's point of view: "I'm going to get nectar, all on my own.." When the girl and the bee meet, they are frightened, but reassured that if they leave each other alone, all will be fine. The story is simplicity itself. It scans well, and while not superlative, is pleasant. The parallel stories are a nice twist and introduce themes of working together with nature. Sweetly appealing watercolor and pencil illustrations never cross into saccharine. The little girl is reminiscent of Nancy Poydar's characters, and the full-bleed spreads give a sense of the city and the characters' emotions. Done from a variety of vantage points, the artwork draws listeners through the plot.-Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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