Swarm of Bees - Hardcover

Snicket, Lemony

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0316392820 ISBN 13: 9780316392822

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2019

Synopsis

"Anger is a difficult emotion but Snicket addresses the topic beautifully in a picture book about a boy and a swarm of bees, illustrating the affect of anger on ourselves and others, and how to let love and kindness take over instead." - Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor

From the bestselling author of The Dark comes another brilliantly illustrated picture book that takes on an intense childhood emotion--this time, anger--in a rollicking, kid-friendly way.
Whether you're a kid or a bee, sometimes you feel so mad, you buzz around looking for people to sting and trouble to make. See how one boy, a swarm of bees, and a whole town can get riled up and then find a way to feel better through the comfort of unconditional love and community.

Printed in a brilliant palette of primary colors, brimming with beautiful dots and stripes, Rilla Alexander's art sings. Not since David Shannon's No, David! have readers been given the pleasure of witnessing such uproariously terrible behavior, unbridled emotion, and ultimately, such comfort.

About this title

About the Author

Lemony Snicket is the author of the thirteen volumes in A Series of Unfortunate Events; several picture books, including the New York Times bestseller The Dark; and the books collectively titled All the Wrong Questions.

Rilla Alexander is a designer, illustrator, and picture book maker whose work has appeared on everything from toys and tea cups to busses and buildings. Some of her books include The Best Book in the World!, Her Idea, and Jane Yolen's A Bear Sat on My Porch Today.

From School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-Being mad is an honest emotion, and sometimes "It can feel good to be angry." In Snicket's latest picture book, a young boy with a wagon full of tomatoes is just that-angry. He incites a swarm of bees by throwing a tomato at a beehive. He and the swarm menacingly move throughout the town, "Swarm of bees! Swarm of bees! Oh no! You are so angry! What will you do?" until the swarm has spooked everyone, but has stung no one. Unsatisfied, the boy begins throwing tomatoes at everyone, reeking havoc. In a satisfying turn of events, and before too much damage is done, a beekeeper comes and calms the bees, and an adult comes and calms the boy leading to the realization, "It can feel good to be angry. It can feel better to stop." They find a better use for tomatoes with a big spaghetti feast bringing everyone together affected by the boy's ire. Snicket's dark humor permeates and pairs well with Alexander's bold color illustrations that highlight the angry, yellow, beelike antagonist, his red wagon of tomatoes, and the swarm of bees as they move through a blue and teal world done with stamp and digital collage. Readers will delight in finding hidden clues of what is to come. Overall this is a great lesson that sometimes we all have a bee in our bonnet, and it can affect others, but still comfort and redemption can be found. VERDICT A buzzworthy book that tackles an often negated feeling in a bold new way.-Danielle Jones, Multnomah County Library, ORα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

About this edition

• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 0316392820
• ISBN 13: 9780316392822
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 48
• Illustrator: Alexander Rilla