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Summary
Summary
In The Bee Who Spoke, we are introduced to Belle, an adventurous and inquisitive eleven-year-old girl who lives in Paris. For her summer vacation, she travels with her family to the Ardeche countryside to visit her grandparents. When she arrives she is given a bicycle so that she may explore the glorious outdoors. Belle sets out riding and, being bold and ever curious, ventures farther and farther from her grandparent's house. Suddenly, disaster strikes: Belle falls from her bicycle and realizes that she is lost. Fortunately, she is found and befriended by a talking bee, who, while guiding Belle safely back to her grandparent's house, introduces her to the plants and animals that are around her and calmly and wisely describes the beauty that can be found in nature. Belle sees the world with fresh eyes and knows that she will never see the environment around her in the same way. With its engaging story, beautiful illustrations, and environmental theme, the story of Belle and the Bee will enchant and entertain young readers and spur their curiosity about nature.
Reviews 1
Publisher's Weekly Review
MacCuish's (Operation Alphabet) story, created as part of a branding campaign for French skin-care company Melvita, introduces Belle, a Parisian girl described with romantic enthusiasm ("Belle loved the city and the city loved her. She knew its alleys and avenues, its rhythms, noises, colors and people by heart"). On Belle's family's annual summer holiday in the French countryside, the talking bee of the title teaches her about the wonders of the natural world, the way bees pollinate flowers so that humans can eat delicious food, and the symphony of all of nature working together. "We are one and we are all," sing a troupe of insects and animals. "Or we're nothing much at all." Gibbon's (Papa Is a Poet) retro illustrations are full of 1960s cheer. Her most fetching images are small still lifes, including ones of the contents of Belle's knapsack (penknife, pencils, camera, croissant) or a breakfast derived of foods dependent on pollination. The sophisticated listeners most likely to be captured by the book's tone, however, may find its moral lesson flatfooted. Ages 4-8. (Dec.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.