A Bear, a Bee, and a Honey Tree

Solely from this book's title, the reader can quickly discern what future may be in store for a hungry bear. A bear, newly woken and emerging from its cave, sets forth to satisfy its hunger. Spying a bees’ nest high up in a tree, the bear is animated and ready for a feed. But a visibly angry bee, finding the bear's interest highly irritating, flies in swirling lines to distract it from reaching the honey. The bear, after managing to stick its paw through the tree and into the nest, sneakily swipes a taste and is still surprised to see an angry swarm of bees ready to enact their revenge. Searching for the runaway bear, the bees finally give up and return to their tree, just as the bear returns, still hungry, to its cave.

Told in very sparse language, A Bear, a Bee, and a Honey Tree is a quick and joyful read, satisfyingly propelling the reader along at an exciting pace. The characters spring to life with hilarious expressions: take note of the bee’s delightfully outraged face. The illustrations capture the bright greens of a new spring and the landscape at dusk, rendered in muted purples and blues, is exquisite. Of special note is the interesting view of the bear from the inside of a honeycomb, stylized cleverly by the illustrator. While A Bear, a Bee, and a Honey Tree may be more suited to the board book format, it is still highly recommended.