The Thing About Bees: A Love Letter

by Shabazz Larkin

Overview

A LOVE POEM FROM A FATHER TO HIS TWO SONS, AND A TRIBUTE TO THE BEES THAT POLLINATE THE FOODS WE LOVE TO EAT.

"Sometimes bees can be a bit rude. They fly in your face and prance on your food." And yet… without bees, we might not have strawberries for shortcakes or avocados for tacos!

Shabazz Larkin’s The Thing About Bees is a Norman Rockwell-inspired Sunday in the park, a love poem from a father to his two sons, and a tribute to the bees that pollinate the foods we love to eat. Children are introduced to different kinds of bees, “how not to get stung,” and how the things we fear are often things we don’t fully understand.

Shabazz Larkin made his picture book illustration debut with Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table, followed by his author/illustrator debut with A Moose Boosh: A Few Choice Words About Food, both named American Library Association Notable Children’s Books. He is a multi-disciplinary artist and an advertising creative director. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with his wife and two sons. SHABAZZLARKIN.COM.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780998047799
Publisher:	READERS TO EATERS
Publication date:	08/01/2019
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 8.60(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	470L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Shabazz Larkinmade his illustrator debut with FARMER WILL ALLEN AND THE GROWING TABLEand his author/illustrator with A MOOSE BOOSH: A FEW CHOICE WORDS ABOUT FOOD. Both were named Notable Children's books by the American Library Association. He is also an advertising creative director and multi-disciplinary artist, painting vibrant portraiture on canvas, typographic printing techniques and film. He is most known for his “Black Magic” collection, a series of portraits that capture the beauty of resilience in black culture. He lives in Nashville, TN. SHABAZZLARKIN.COM

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Kids and bees can be rambunctious, but of course we need them both. Larkin's playful father-son story gathers up the sweetness of life with unconditional love."—Javaka Steptoe, Winner, Caldecott Medal, Radiant Child, Coretta Scott King Award, In Daddy's Arms I Am Tall

Reading Group Guide

Here’s the thing about bees. Sometimes bees can be a bit rude. They fly in your face and prance on your food. They buzz in the bushes and buzz in your ear. They sneak up behind you and fill you with fear. Worst of all. they do this thing called sting. Ouch! We may want bees gone because their sting hurts, But if they were all gone, it would hurt much worse. With bees... there'd be more more picnics with watermelon. There'd be no more smoothies with mango. There'd be more more strawberries for shortcakes. And more more avocados for tacos. There'd be no apples, which means no more pie. No more cucumbers, which means no more pickles. No more blueberries and raspberries for pancakes or sweet cherries to drizzle. Because some foods won't grow without bees to help them along. In a way, the bees are just like you! YOU YOU buzz in the bushes and buzz in my ear. YOU sneak up behind me and fill me with fear. YOU fly in my face and prance on my food. you even sting, when you're in a bad mood. But I never stop loving you. You're my sweet cherry. The apple pie of my eye. You're my cucumber pickle. My bumble bee in the sky. You're my cold watermelon at a picnic in the park. You're the avocados on my tacos... You're my strawberry heart. Without those little buzzers, the world wouldn't know what to do. That's the thing about bees. We need them just as much as we need you.

Interviews

I HAVE A LOT TO LEARN ABOUT BEES I wrote this book because I have a ridiculous fear of bees. When my sons were born I didn’t want to pass my fear to them, so I set out to discover all I could about the little buzzers. I learned three things about bees. First, I learned that every living creature has a special part to play in the world, that includes you. Second, whenI learn more about a scary thing, the thing feels less scary to me. Third, I researched which bees and wasps are kind and which are kinda mean. I made a guide to help you see the difference, too. It's brave to try to understand the things that scare us. Now, go be brave. Love, Shabazz

Editorial Reviews

•  Winner, "Growing Good Kids" Book Award, Junior Master Gardener Program & American Horticultural Society

• Best Picture Books 2019 List, School Library Journal

• "Best Children's Book of the Year 2018, Bank Street College of Education's Children's Book Committee

• "Highly Commended" Title, Charlotte Zolotow Award 2020

• "CCBC Choices,” Cooperative Children's Book Center

• Capitol Choices 2020

*Best Picture Books 2019*  “Larkin spins a buoyant monologue to his young sons about why bees are so important and how they are analogous to rambunctious children; the narrative is threaded with unconditional love for both subjects. Hand lettering, bold coloring, and textural, mixed-media artwork add energy while evocative language makes for a spirited and joy-filled read-aloud."—School Library Journal

“A holistic—and wholly original—treatment.”—“Starred” review, School Library Journal

“In this beautiful exploration of what bees mean to the world and what his sons mean to him, Larkin seeks to alleviate a child’s fear of these insets by explaining how they are integral to the creation of their favorite fruits… The gorgeous artwork featuring a family of color, a simplified exploration of entomology, and a note from the author about seeking to understand things that scare us help to make this book a solid recommendation for picture book collections.”—Booklist

“Starring an affectionate family and a whole lot of bees, Larkin offers up a sparkling celebration of necessary pollinators… Full-bleed spreads, ’inspired by the techniques of... Kehinde Wiley and Norman Rockwell,’ show a family of color interacting with the insects out of doors…  Imaginative and playful, Larkin’s images of the family’s encounters with bees and the fruits and vegetables they help produce helps them understand the role of pollinators—and provides stylish entertainment.”—Publishers Weekly

"Larkin, a father of young children and a profound melissophobe, dug into the dizzying variety of bee species and the roles they play in the global food web, all in order to ease his own fear and avoid passing that fear on to his children. The result is a sweet, gentle picture book that, with Larkin’s playful, abstract art, can inspire a sense of wonder and respect for nature’s buzzing buddies. Be sure to check out the 'How Not to Get Stung' chart at the back."—Civil Eats


"Larkin delivers a love poem to bees and his children... This paean to bees is just the ticket.”—Kirkus Reviews

"A sweet, funny read-aloud to share with the ones you love, even better if it helps to assuage any fears and to build appreciation of bees."—BayViews, The Association of Children’s Librarians of Northern California

The Thing About Bees is a fun read and filled with important lessons —for kids and adults, about how essential bees are to the food we love to eat!  This book will spark the curiosity in every child to learn more about the power of pollinators.”—Nona Evans, Executive Director, Whole Kids Foundation

"This is a book of sweet whimsy that can start conversations about courage, the interconnectedness of all living things, and the way that scary, difficult creatures can also be lovable. It's a love letter from a father to his two sons as well as a primer on must-know facts about bees. So much accessible wisdom packed into one children's book!— Anne Fishel, Ph.D., Director, The Family Dinner Project; Director, The Family & Couples Therapy Program, Mass General Hospital

“The Thing About Bees is sweet as honey and lyrical as a song. Larkin takes the stinging fear out of bees as he connects pollinators with raspberries for pancakes, picnics with watermelon, and the strawberry heart love of a father for his buzzing kids. This book is perfect for any kids who, like mine, fear bees and want to understand why they exist.”—Anna Mulé, Executive Director, Slow Food USA

"Kids and bees can be rambunctious, but of course we need them both. Larkin's playful father-son story gathers up the sweetness of life with unconditional love."—Javaka Steptoe, Winner, Caldecott Medal, Radiant Child, Coretta Scott King Award, In Daddy's Arms I Am Tall

From the Publisher

2019-07-28
Larkin delivers a love poem to bees and his children.

"When a bee and a flower love each other very much, a fruit is born." The playful tone set in this first sentence carries throughout this loosely rhymed book. Following an opening double-page spread about pollination, Larkin acknowledges that "bees can be a bit rude" and that, "worst of all, they do this thing / called sting. / OUCH!" But if they were gone, along with no bee stings there would be no watermelons, mangoes, strawberries, cucumbers, and more. Then he gets personal, reasoning that children share some characteristics with bees, even stinging "when you're in a bad mood. // But," crucially, "I never stop / loving / you." Accompanying the text is distinctive, motion-filled artwork that overlays line drawings with swaths and daubs of color. Using photos of himself and his children as models for his human characters, he presents two yellow-overalls-clad black children who variously look worried, astonished, and delighted. One close-up image, of a honeybee in a strawberry blossom, is wonderfully tactile, little grains of pollen falling gracefully over a ripe, red fruit below. A closing double-page spread introduces three types of bees and three other stinging insects on a scale from "kind" to "kinda mean" along with a few points of "bee safety & etiquette."

This paean to bees is just the ticket for moving kids from concern to comfort. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews

Shabazz Larkin delivers a lively and joyful audiobook companion to his picture book all about appreciating bees. Larkin narrates with warmth as he describes the important role that bees play in pollinating plants and making a picnic’s worth of fruits grow. Legend and Royal add giggles, yelps, and exclamations, while Ashley Larkin’s bright voice narrates headings and labels. Buzzing bees, light piano music, and bongo drums add to the fun as Shabazz explains how kids share some buzzing and sneaking and stinging tendencies with bees—and how essential his kids are to making his life sweeter, too. The atmosphere of joy and love listeners hear in the audiobook is reflected in the vibrant and textured illustrations found in the print book. E.E.C. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

JULY 2020 - AudioFile

Shabazz Larkin delivers a lively and joyful audiobook companion to his picture book all about appreciating bees. Larkin narrates with warmth as he describes the important role that bees play in pollinating plants and making a picnic’s worth of fruits grow. Legend and Royal add giggles, yelps, and exclamations, while Ashley Larkin’s bright voice narrates headings and labels. Buzzing bees, light piano music, and bongo drums add to the fun as Shabazz explains how kids share some buzzing and sneaking and stinging tendencies with bees—and how essential his kids are to making his life sweeter, too. The atmosphere of joy and love listeners hear in the audiobook is reflected in the vibrant and textured illustrations found in the print book. E.E.C. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

JULY 2020 - AudioFile