Bea loves tending the flowers in her little back yard but what she’d really like is a pet to care for. The yard is too small for a pet, or is it? When Bea finds Little Bee, she finds the perfect pet for her tiny garden.Can Bea convince Mummy to let her keep a pet bee?
In an era where bees are endangered and many children seem not to take time away from screens of one type or another to enjoy the pleasures of a garden, this book is a breath of fresh air.
The concept of the story seems simple - a little girl longs for a puppy and finds an unusual alternative - but there is an underlying message of hope and acceptance in this story that is very positive and encouraging for children. It is a very good thing to open our children's minds to things that are out of the ordinary, and to teach them that even among friends who are very different, we can have surprising similarities.
The illustrations are cheerful, colourful and varied so that the book remains engaging for younger readers throughout the story.
This story also comes with helpful information about how to provide for bees in t notes about what might be harmful to the bees that visit our back yards.
This would be a delightful book for families to read together, or for more independent reading as children get a little older. It would also be a valuable addition to school and town libraries.
A Charming, lovely, and delightful nature-focused tale for little ones ...
A charming, lovely, and delightful story to read to/with your little ones, and one that gently introduces little ones to the beauty of nature, and to trust and appreciate natural wildlife, namely the bees. There's just the right balance of humour too, like when Beatrice Rose is being addressed by her 'Shouting' name, but as just Bea the rest of the time. There's also lots of clever use of the word Bea/Bee that children will like too, and the sense of familiarity of Bea's life with her mum. I particularly liked too the little tips at the end about caring for a sick or injured bee.
As well as a smashing wee story, it's only fair to add the illustrations are not only vividly bright and colourful but also utterly beautiful - the artist makes the illustrations look deceptively simple, but in truth, they're as professional and well-drawn as any I've seen in young child's picture/storybook. Parents and grandparents will enjoy so much quality time with their young ones as they will likely want to read it over and over again.
Now I know the high cost of printing associated with children's story/picturebooks might be offputting for some parents, but it's worth noting that although they don't download onto a regular kindle, anyone with Amazon's KU can read if for free on any android tablet or laptop with no loss of picture quality (quite the opposite in fact), or failing that, download it to such a device for less than half the print price ... an absolute bargain for the smiles it'll bring a wee youngster.
What a wonderful way to teach children to respect bees, which are so important to our survival. Lovely pictures, cute story, and great information at the end to show a child (and adults) how to care for our friend the bee.
Bea is a happy, smiling, little girl, except when she’s in trouble and Mummy shouts “Beatrice Rose!” It is a marvellous introduction because every child will instantly emphasise with Bea. Mummy is nice, but she does say no to one thing Bea wants very much, a puppy like Pip, who belongs to her friend next door. “Our garden is just too small for a dog, Bea”. Bea loves flowers and there are beautiful illustrations of snowdrops in winter, all sorts of colourful blooms in spring, and dandelions and daisies in summer. By autumn, Bea has sunflowers too. And what did the flowers attract? A fuzzy bumble bee, and so came about Sylva Fae’s story, Bea and Bee, because a bee was the perfect pet to live in a small garden full of flowers.
Bea having Bee for a pet is where all the fun starts! All the things the little girl and the bee could both do – hum, have “tea”, sleep, and fly – well, Bea does her best! Mummy worries a bee might sting, but of course, Bee doesn’t sting his friend. He does hurt his wing, but if you want to know if he got better and flew ziggardy, zaggardy, wibbly, wobbly, plop on more adventures with Bea, you must listen to the story, look at the pictures, and learn to read the words! It’s a story that shows you don’t have to have everything to be happy, and it’s rewarding to be kind. I was absolutely captivated by Sylva Fae’s Bea and Bee.
The bright colours in the images capture the child's attention and hold it as the story is read to them. The story of Bee is one that they can relate to and enjoy. There's even some practical tips at the end for anyone finding a sluggish bee.
Great story line. Shows that friends can be different than you,but in this case it might encourage young kids to get stung by a new they think is a pet.