Bee a Friend

A bumblebee is on a quest to find a friend, and, on the way, he meets a variety of creatures that live in the garden where the gardener grows her fruits and vegetables. The bumblebee visits with ants, a caterpillar, a slug, a snake, a mole, a cat, and a dog. Each new character is introduced with a description of its physical attributes and where it lives. For example, the caterpillar is brown, black, and furry. It might move slowly, but it is always in a hurry. It lives on the ground. The slug is a dull, grey, slimy thing, that lives on a rock.

The full-page, full-colour illustrations in cartoon format supplement the text with added information. The ants are drawn as soldiers in an army camp, (army ants), and the mole is shown as using a shovel to dig tunnels underground.

The text is written in poetic format with rhyming couplets.

Around the garden I will fly,
my little wings carry me high in the sky.
From up here I’ll take one more pass —
there’s a slithering snake in the grass!

Teachers and caregivers can use this book in a variety of ways. The theme of friendship and the concepts of backyard environments could be introduced with this book. Poetry, rhymes, and poetic devices could be explored. Pouncing practice, slithering snakes, and glossy green are some examples of the alliterative poetic device Sather employs. Teachers could also use this book to introduce the conventions of conversation. The bumblebee asks many questions, such as, “How is your day?” and “Would you like to be friends with me?”

Children will enjoy reading Bee a Friend or having it read to them. Each reading will uncover a new aspect to be discussed.