LITTLE BEE'S FLOWER

A little bee has an important job to do.

It is the first day of spring, and Queen Bee instructs the hive to find some pollen and nectar. Little Bee wants to do the very best, but there is one problem: She doesn’t know what a flower is. She’s too nervous to ask the queen, so she sets off with a notebook on a fact-finding mission. Baby birds chirp that flowers are colorful. Spotted ladybugs tell her that flowers are very large. And a colony of ants contributes that flowers smell sweet. Having jotted all that information down (“many colorz…smellz like a fruit salad”), Little Bee is confident she can find a flower. She buzzes straight to the park. Alas, all she finds is a swatting hand and a solid “BAM” to the head. But something soft cushions her fall. Little Bee just may be victorious after all. Young readers will recognize Little Bee’s initial fear of confessing her ignorance. New situations can be daunting, and youngsters are thrown into many. But Little Bee forges her own path to complete the task and provides a model. Souva’s textured nature renderings and softened tones complement this little bee’s determined journey. A squat trim mirrors Little Bee’s size, reminding readers that she is small but mighty.

Gently models finding courage and asking for help.