BUMBLEBEE BOY LOVES...

A list of all the people and activities Bumblebee Boy loves.

The titular hero, best friend to Ladybug Girl from the popular series of picture and board books, loves to save the world, draw robots, and read with his younger brother. Each scene fills the six double-page spreads with one or two sentences of simple text per tableau. Soman’s art, which looks to be pen, ink, and watercolor, is the main attraction as he deftly and fluidly captures Bumblebee Boy’s playful energy. Particularly lovely is the white preschooler’s relationship with his toddler brother. While Bumblebee Boy looks suitably heroic in his homemade yellow-and-black bumblebee outfit, readers see the inspiration for the lad’s pretend play in the toys in the background; the Beemobile is one of the boy’s toy cars, and the city he jumps over is built of blocks. A die-cut portrait of Bumblebee Boy and his brother has been glued to the front cover for added appeal.

A sweet addition to this growing series about would-be superheroes.