Bee Love

In Bee Love, tv personality Kristin Hallett’s first book, a little Bee explains all his big dreams to his Momma Bee. Hallett explains that this story was sent to her in a dream by her child Will who “returned up to the stars”. Certainly, the book captures the heartfelt sentiment that such inspiration would demand. Via rhyming verse and swirling color, he dreams of receiving fame, medals of honour, and many beautiful possessions. Author Hallett and illustrator Stobo have collaborated on a book that captures the dizzying pace big dreams can take on for the “hungry hearts” among us. That Hallett has chosen to portray these dreams in the heart of a busy buzzy baby bee is certainly an appropriate fit.

Stobo’s artwork is comprised of photographic renditions of her original collaged artwork. The hand-drawn bees are offset by cut paper backgrounds where errant scissor marks and asymmetrical design deepen the frenzy of Little Bee’s dreaming and doing. Stobo makes use of a naïve style to render these illustrations, likely to portray the huge childhood dreams of a Little Bee who wants so much out of life. While children may not mind, the artwork does often read as visually confusing, further complicated by the hand-drawn text that moves across the page in, at times, unpredictable ways.

On the whole, this book misses the mark on how children learn. While the story proclaims to be about a Little Bee who desires glory and fame, it also heavily features his reassuring Momma Bee offering direct verbal lessons. None of Little Bee’s learning comes from experience, personal growth or development. This is troublesome as children rarely learn when only offered directive explanations. In the end, this book is largely about Momma Bee as sage figure, offering her child succor when he makes mistakes.

Additionally problematic is the concept of Little Bee’s “hungry heart”. While children can empathize with having big dreams, the particular desire for fame, glory and possessions is hard to stomach. A power-hungry Little Bee is, unfortunately, not a particularly endearing character. Childhood dreams, while often larger-than-life, serve an important role in emotional processing and cognitive development. Viewing them through an adult lens is problematic. A deeper understanding of children and their development would have gone a great way in strengthening this work.