Category: Blog
Children’s Book Week is this week!
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The Good Girl’s Soliloquy
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A Letter for Leo
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In the works…
Happy National Library Week!
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School Library Journal likes Bear and Bee!
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Bear has never seen bees before but he describes them as terrible
monsters. “They are big, and they have large teeth, and they have sharp
claws, and they never share their honey!” Bear learns to appreciate the
qualities of bees (and bears) when he unexpectedly meets one for the
first time. The bee points out that Bear has described himself, leaving
him in despair until Bee reveals his own identity. Their humorous
conversation, which remedies Bear’s prejudice, ends with a shared meal of
honey between two new friends. Digitally colored pen-and-ink
illustrations depict close-ups of the characters against a simple spring
background of turquoise skies, yellow-green grass, and sprightly flowers.
The minimal text is comprised of dialogue between the two characters.
Expressive words appear in boldface type. The starry scene at the end of
the book makes this story a good choice for bedtime as well.
Tanya Boudreau, Cold Lake Public Library, AB, Canada
Bear and Bee at the Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, Public Library
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The Horn Book on Bear and Bee: “A sure hit for the story-hour set.”
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Bear wants some honey, but he is too afraid of bees to approach a hive that’s hanging off a tree branch, just at eye level. He shares his fears with a stranger, who asks him if he’s ever seen a bee. The fearsome creature Bear then imagines and describes to the stranger is nothing like a real bee, but very much like a bear. And even the youngest audience will know that the sympathetic stranger Bear is talking to is, in fact, a bee, and that there is nothing at all to fear in either one of them. Bear wears flip-flops and Bee wears high-top sneakers in the comical illustrations printed in monochromatic hues. Ruzzier clearly understands the psyches of young children, who are more likely to fear bees than bears and who will delight in being smarter—and braver—than Bear. A sure hit for the story-hour set.
Kathleen T. Horning (The Horn Book)
New etching for sale: “Drinking Companions”
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A few months ago a Milanese printmaker, Guido Pigni, asked me if I was interested in making an etching with him.
I have always been a big admirer of printmakers, from Albrecht Dürer to Arthur Geisert, and I did, years ago, try to engrave a couple of copper plates with mixed results. Overcoming my natural fear of failure, I gratefully said yes to Guido. Here’s the result. It’s an etching and aquatint (the greytones), approximately 8 inches by 10 on a 13 inches by 10 paper. You can buy a copy (or more…) on my Etsy shop.
“This friendship-not-fear tale is a natural for storytime or laptime.”
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A great review of Bear and Bee on the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books:
Hungry little Bear would love some honey, which he’s kindly being offered, but he’s afraid of upsetting the dangerous bees. He thinks he knows what bees are: they are “terrible monsters. They are big and they have large teeth, and they have sharp claws, and they never share their honey!” The kindly critter offering honey points out that Bear is the one who’s big, with large teeth and sharp claws (“Poor me! I am a bee!” cries Bear), and then reveals himself to be an actual bee—who does indeed share his honey. Oversized fears are something kids can definitely relate to, and the book gently and tacitly addresses the topic while making an excellent layered joke that’s easily within youngsters’ grasp. They’ll enjoy knowing from the start what silly Bear doesn’t, and his moment of wrong-headed self-identification is preschool comedy gold. Ruzzier’s cozily uneven, very handmade lines are filled with opaque planes of soft digital color over full-bleed backgrounds to make a simple but warmly welcoming landscape. As usual, he has some subtle otherworldly touches (the botanicals are a little Seussian, and the bear’s imagined bee is pretty Martian), but those elements are counterpointed by the everydayness of both characters’ footwear (Bear in simple sandals, Bee in gym shoes) and their childlike gestures (Bee expressively deploys all four arms). This friendship-not-fear tale is a natural for storytime or laptime, especially if followed up by a nice honey-touched snack.