We've been really loving Edward Gibbs' I Spy books in storytime and I picked this up to see if it was as good as his picture books. Happily, it is just as excellent!
This delightful board book has a fun sequence - the bee is fleeing from a hungry frog, who is being chased by a snake, who is being chased by a mongoose, etc. The repeated text starts out with "Little bee, little bee.../why do you flee?" Then you turn the page and the bee responds "Because there's a hungry frog chasing me!" This pattern repeats throughout the book, until it ends with a big hunter running away from the bee. It's a bit reminiscent of Brown Bear Brown Bear but with more action!
The pictures are bright and colorful and done in Gibbs' unique, curly-edged style. The blue mongoose was rather oddly-shaped, but all the other creatures are clearly identifiable. The book is a rectangle, about 6x7 inches square. On my copy, the bee on the cover has little fabric wings made out of a sparkly, thick cloth. Despite tons of circulation, the wings are still intact.
Verdict: This is not only popular with parents, it would make a good storytime readaloud for the toddlers, especially with a small group. For a larger group, you might need to blow up the pictures a little. It would also make a good flannel board or extension activity.
ISBN: 9780316127073; Published 2011 by Little, Brown; Borrowed from the library
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