Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Horsefly and Honeybee

written and illustrated by Randy Cecil
Henry Holt | March 27, 2012

Horsefly and Honeybee both try to take a nap in the same flower one day and have a fight about it: "It wasn't pretty." Each of them loses a wing and they storm off on foot in opposite directions. Soon, they find themselves in danger of being a bullfrog's lunch and have to work together to save themselves. They of course learn a valuable lesson in the process.

The oil paint illustrations are pleasing. When Honeybee is captured by Bullfrog, he has a completely surprised and frightened look, achieved only by his antennae and eye placement. The design is very good, with varied types of spreads, but not too many. The text is placed well, easy to read, and in a fun font. The honeybee is called simply Honeybee rather than some clever name (same with Horsefly), which is refreshing. They are put in a perilous situation that echoes one that could befall a bee and horsefly in the real world rather than some contrived human-based situation.

Overall, a sweet read! 

No comments:

Post a Comment