Herbert Peabody and the
Incredible Beehive by
Bianca C Ross, illustrated by Tabitha Emma Bray (Farinet Pty Ltd) HB RRP $18.95
ISBN 9780987595515
Reviewed by Dianne Bates
The first obvious thing
about this self-published book is that it is beautifully presented, not just as
a hardback but with a jacket cover; the quality of the paper and the
book design are impeccable. On the fly pages, too, is something I loved as a child – a
map of Huffleton and Mulberry Tree Farm which feature in the story.
This is the second story in
the Herbert Peabody series, the first being Herbert Peabody and His
Extraordinary Vegetable Patch. The author, a small-time farmer with an
extensive marketing background in food companies, decided to create the series
when she observed that children do not always understand where their food comes
from.
The book’s main character, Herbert, is a fruit and veggie farmer from
Mulberry Tree Farm. In his veggie patch Herbie discovers Bee who is in search
of a place to build her hive. He grants her permission to check out his farm
and then drives off to meet up with his nieces and nephew Henrietta, Clementine
and Digby at the footie.
While chasing an errant
ball, Herbie comes across the haunted Huffelton House where The Voice That
Belongs to Nobody – a mean creature – lives. There is a mystery associated with
the house and Herbie is determined to resolve it. When he discovers that his
new neighbour, Bee, is having trouble finding enough pollen to supply her
family’s hive, he also decides to lend a hand to find her more flowers.
Author Ross writes clearly
and succinctly and children aged 7 to 9 years will doubtless enjoy her simple
story-telling -- provided they are able to accept talking insects such as Worm,
Ladybird and Bee. The book has a number of illustrations, some in black and
white line, some in muted colour; they are all, like the narrative, simple and
charming.
In the book’s Afterword,
Ross tells of her concern about the crisis with bees; their populations are
decreasing, and of course, without bees, food production as we know it will
cease. The author deserves full credit for drawing the readers’ attention to this
situation.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Buzz Words Books would love to hear what you think.