A Bear, a Bee, and a Honey Tree

by Daniel Bernstrom, Brandon James Scott (Illustrator)

Overview

Beloved by babies and toddlers: A Bear, a Bee, and a Honey Tree is now available in a full-length board book edition with rounded edges.

“Delightful . . . if you read only ONE bear-related picture book this year, let it be this one. . . . The ultimate read aloud to large groups as well as one on one lapsits." —Betsy Bird, A Fuse #8 Production, School Library Journal

Just in time for the publication of the second book in the Bear, Bee series comes a generously-sized board book version of A Bear, a Bee, and a Honey Tree. When a hungry, fuzzy brown bear and a fuzzy yellow bee come face to face, everybody's abuzz! Award-winning author Daniel Bernstrom and critically acclaimed illustrator Brandon James Scott have created a rowdy, rhythmic read-aloud that's perfect for babies and toddlers. This epic chase story features Bernstrom's simple language, alliterative wordplay and verbal pizzazz. And Brandon James Scott's expressive characters jump off the pages. A Bear, a Bee, and a Honey Tree has the kind of high-energy and uninhibited playfulness that will have little kids following the action, making their own bear and bee sounds, and noticing first words that are all carefully placed with corresponding images. A wonderful romp and a splendid introduction to visual literacy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781662640087
Publisher:	Astra Publishing House
Publication date:	11/01/2022
Series:	HUNGRY BEAR
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	630,311
Product dimensions:	10.31(w) x 10.25(h) x 0.41(d)
Lexile:	NP (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Daniel Bernstrom is a poet and the author of 6 picture books, including One Day in the Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus Tree and Big Papa and the Time Machine, a Minnesota Book Award winner. All Daniel’s previous books feature Black characters, reflecting everyday adventures and joy. This is Daniel’s first book that features animals exclusively. Daniel lives in Worthington, Minnesota, with his wife and 5 adorable children.

By day Brandon is a creative director working in animation and by night he illustrates picture books. For over a decade Brandon has worked on a range of hit animated entertainment including his own creation, the award-winning series, Justin Time. He loves to make art that brings adventure, levity, heart, and curiosity for the fantastic and whimsical world around us and in our dreams. A born-and-raised Canadian, he currently lives with his family in Toronto.

Editorial Reviews

09/26/2022

Short, punchy words and playful rhymes help Bernstrom (Song in the City) commemorate the victory of a small bee over a large, honey-hungry bear in this playful picture book. After both parties awaken and stretch in the morning light, kinetic digital spreads by Scott (I Was Born a Baby) show the bear, with big, googly eyes and a sheepish expression, stalking the hive through grass while the bee goes about its business collecting pollen. Brief phrases soon pile up in pleasing ways, as when the bear (“a hungry bear/ a honey bear”) first makes an attempt on the goods: “a sneaky busy honey bear// a fretful bee/ a paw in tree// a very angry fuzzy bee.” Not until it hoists itself into the tree does the bee, shown with comically tiny wings and an outraged expression, register the complaint, enlisting the help of its hive-mates. Dramatic lighting—dawn’s glow, the lamp-like shine of the honeycomb, the dusk of evening—amplifies the spreads’ appeal while offering a clear temporal feel. The David-and-Goliath confrontation, and its swarming turnabout, make this a snappy, fast-moving readaloud for youngest readers, with ample visual punch lines to boot. Ages 3–7. Author’s agent: Brenda Bowen, Book Group. Illustrator’s agent; Emily van Beek, Folio Jr./Folio Literary. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

★ "A very funny story told in simple text and uproarious illustrations.... makes for a hilarious romp.Illustrations capture the humor and the emotion perfectly." - School Library Journal, STARRED review (board book)

101 Great Books for Kids List, Evanston Public Library (IL)

“A rollicking, hilarious picture book. With its rhyming, easy-to-read text and vibrant illustrations, this rib-tickling story is perfect for reading aloud to a group or for beginning readers to tackle on their own." — Read Brightly

“Outstanding….sure to become [a] favorite at your house….a delightful read-together with emerging readers.” — Christian Science Monitor

“Delightful….if you read only ONE bear-related picture book this year, let it be this one…..The ultimate read aloud to large groups as well as one on one lapsits." — Betsy Bird, A Fuse #8 Production, School Library Journal


“My own personal favorite….This’ll knock your socks off.” — Betsy Bird, A Fuse #8 Production, School Library Journal

"★★★★★ One of those books destined to become a classic, one that kids will ask to be read over and over again, a great choice for storytimes…. just so much fun." — Youth Services Book Review

“Essential.  Scott’s illustrations are luminous! Gorgeous. Glowing....the words and pictures are a cohesive whole that will delight every reader. A master text for picture book writers – it’d be great to share with any creative writing class." — Kiss the Book Jr. 

"Daniel Bernstrom's complete joy in the English language is married to an equally complete understanding of what makes children laugh. This sticky, fuzzy, action-packed tongue-twister will delight readers as young as 8 months old, while inspiring seven year-olds to write poetry, since he’s made it look so fun. I have been reading Bernstrom’s work with delight for a good while. Expect this one to become a beloved classic." — Emily Jenkins, author of A Greyhound, a Groundhog and Harry Versus the First One Hundred Days of School

“An exhilarating romp….A Bear, A Bee, and a Honey Tree will be all the buzz for home story times both for adults – who will have a rollicking good time reading aloud – and kids – who will want to hear it again and again. The book will be a hit for classroom reading and would make a terrific addition to public library preschool programs. A Bear, A Bee, and a Honey Tree is a must for any children’s book collection." — Celebrate Children's Books

“A snappy, fast-moving readaloud for youngest readers, with ample visual punch lines to boot." — Publishers Weekly

"Memorable language and enjoyable, colorful, interesting illustrations make this a standout title to share with young readers. After reading it once, I had to read it again. A winner!” — Myra Zarnowski, educator, Queens College, NY

"Sure to be a read-aloud hit.” — Libby Bergstrom, Global Reach Libraries, Highland Ranch, CO

"The bear and the bees are adorable, just adorable. What a wonderful story to read to your child.” — Roxanne, Arts & Letters Books

“Humorous… readers see characters through a few well chosen words… don’t miss the character expressions on each page.” — Pamela Gombert, Educator, Bowen Elementary

""A rowdy, rhythmic read aloud featuring a hungry, fuzzy brown bear and a hive of angry bees. Read along as they come face-to-face in an epic showdown!” — @maistorybooklibrary

“The characters' expressions are a hoot.” — Alisa Edwards, Napa Bookmine

From the Publisher

2022-07-13
It isn’t hard to tell that an animator worked on this book.

Someone is moving on nearly every page of this picture book. A bear is eagerly pursuing honey or a swarm of bees is chasing after the bear. Even the endpapers show the path of a bee in flight. Scott has a background in animation, and his illustrations of the bear climbing a tree or tumbling through the air feel incredibly vivid. The images of objects are just as marvelous; a beehive, in the middle of a tree, seems to glow. The text is simple, like an itemized list, pairing well with the visuals: “a bear / a bee / a honey tree.” As the list continues, the action builds one line at a time: “a running bear / a patch of weeds / a million bees up in the air.” The cloud of bees looks so dense that it’s almost possible to believe the artist has painted a million of them, and they’re blurred just slightly, so they appear to be in constant motion. The ending isn’t difficult to predict—the bees manage to defend their hive from the interloper—but the bear, having gone home hungry, looks dejected enough to earn some readers’ sympathies. And while the story is slight, the rhythm of the words is captivating enough to keep readers turning pages. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

With popcorn, this book would make a pretty great animated short. (Picture book. 3-5)

Kirkus Reviews

★ 03/02/2024

PreS-Gr 1—A busy bee, a hungry bear, and a very funny story told in simple text and uproarious illustrations. A bear discovers a honey tree and the eventual encounter between bear and "a million fuzzy buzzing bees" makes for a hilarious romp. VERDICT Illustrations capture the humor and the emotion perfectly.—John Scott

School Library Journal