A Bear, a Bee, and a Honey Tree

Short, punchy words and playful rhymes help Bernstrom (Song in the City) commemorate the victory of a small bee over a large, honey-hungry bear in this playful picture book. After both parties awaken and stretch in the morning light, kinetic digital spreads by Scott (I Was Born a Baby) show the bear, with big, googly eyes and a sheepish expression, stalking the hive through grass while the bee goes about its business collecting pollen. Brief phrases soon pile up in pleasing ways, as when the bear (“a hungry bear/ a honey bear”) first makes an attempt on the goods: “a sneaky busy honey bear// a fretful bee/ a paw in tree// a very angry fuzzy bee.” Not until it hoists itself into the tree does the bee, shown with comically tiny wings and an outraged expression, register the complaint, enlisting the help of its hive-mates. Dramatic lighting—dawn’s glow, the lamp-like shine of the honeycomb, the dusk of evening—amplifies the spreads’ appeal while offering a clear temporal feel. The David-and-Goliath confrontation, and its swarming turnabout, make this a snappy, fast-moving readaloud for youngest readers, with ample visual punch lines to boot. Ages 3–7. Author’s agent: Brenda Bowen, Book Group. Illustrator’s agent; Emily van Beek, Folio Jr./Folio Literary. (Nov.)