Miss Bee's Books

One of the most honored children's writers in America, Virginia Hamilton brings us an amazing, well-researched collection of animal folk tales from African American, West Indian, and African tradition. This collection is broken up into three sections based on their place of origin; each section begins with a brief background on the stories, characters, and dialects used in the section. At the end of the collection are further explanations of each individual story. Hamilton discusses everything from the origins of the characters and their metaphorical meaning to the purpose of the story to excerpts of the story in their original dialect. This collection of animal folk tales can be further broken down into 3 main subgenres. While (as the title indicates) all of the stories are trickster tales, in which the main character plays tricks on those in power, this collection also includes a number of pourquoi tales and some beast tales. A pourquoi tale is one that explains how certa...

A piece of debris, a barnacle-covered underwater camera, washes up on shore and opens up a whole new world. In David Wiesner's Caldecott Medal winning book, Flotsam, a normal day at the beach turns into a discovery of a lifetime. In this brilliant work, Wiesner creates an incredible underwater world depicted solely through rich watercolor illustration. This book is a feast for the imagination, the breathtaking visuals transport us to another undersea world, presenting us with images that only lead to more questions. Every time we turn the page there is more to discover and because there are no words, more to explore. This work is fantastic inspiration for writers, each picture on the camera can lead to limitless narratives about the worlds Wiesner created. Not only can this work lead us to explore Wiesner's illustrations, but it can also inspire us to think outside of the box for ourselves. Can we imagine our own new worlds? Or think of other kooky explanations for the...

Stewart has a problem! An obnoxious little molar in the back of his mouth that nags, whines, and demands.... SWEETS. It just won't leave him alone! Stewart would love to be an average, everyday, good kid, but that darn tooth! It makes him destroy his cousin's wedding cake, shout out in class for peanut butter cups, and steal other kids' gummy bears at the movies. Poor Stewart! When that pesky tooth interrupts the story to demand that Stewart eat a bag of cookies Stewart has had enough and decides to cut him off cold turkey. It's an epic battle between tooth and boy in this wonderfully illustrated book by Margie Palatini and Jack E. Davis. This book is just plain fun, and so easy to relate to! Who hasn't had a craving they just can't quench? Or munched down on one too many chocolate candies? And of course it has the wonderful messages about eating right and controlling our diets. Davis' tragically comic illustrations are not confined to the side of the pa...

When talented young artist Pigasso and Mootisse get tired of the hustle and bustle of city life and adoring fans they move out of town to find someplace to paint in peace. Even though they have never met before, Pigasso buys a house in the country right across from Mootisse , and Mootisse buys a house right across from Pigasso . At first the two are great friends, exchanging art and paying visits. Unfortunately, a rivalry soon erupts as Pigasso insults Mootisse's paintings and as Mootisse makes fun of Pigasso's . Despite their differing styles, however, the two artists quickly learn they cannot live without their new found friendship and work together to create an "amazing work of heart". When Pigasso met Mootisse closely mirrors the friendship, rivalry, and subsequent friendship of real-life artists Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse. As Nina Laden points out in her informative afterward, Spanish Picasso met Matisse at a party after moving to Paris in the...

Shark has just learned some terrible news! There are enormous, fearsome creatures prowling around that are covered in stripes and full of teeth: TIGERS! With a little help from Lobster's erroneous suggestions that tigers glow in the dark and are invisible until they eat you, the two friends manage to work the whole sea floor into a fort-building frenzy. Seven hundred rocks, a musical number, and a kooky sea monster later Shark and Lobster have had the most exciting (and terrifying) day of their lives. This hilarious book, Shark and Lobster's Amazing Undersea Adventure by Viviane Schwarz and colored by Joel Stewart is illustrate d like a comic book . First person word bubbles and cartoony water-color style give this book a casual, light-hearted air that is hard not to love. Aside from being incredibly fun, this book gives way to a wealth of activities; from finding out the truth about tigers (do they really glow in the dark? Are there any animals that do?) to creating o...

Calico Jack Rackham and his pirate crew are below deck drinking and playing cards, when suddenly the Vanity is attacked by the Captain Jonathan Barnet's man-o'-war the Albion! Barnet has been sent by the governor from Jamaica's Port Maria Bay to capture the Vanity and bring its crew to justice. Only the Vanity's two young look-outs are above deck as the Albion approaches. Though they shout down in warning, the rest of the crew chooses to remain below drinking and gambling. Knowing they have only each other, the brave look-outs stand back-to-back, braced for the onslaught. These gallant young pirates are Anne Bonney and Mary Reade. In The Ballad of the Pirate Queens, Jane Yolen captures the unsinkable spirit of the two most famous female pirates of the 18th Century. Not only does this book contain a captivating [somewhat] true story, but it is an amazing resource to jump start our curiosity. At the end of the book, Yolen provides a brief author's note on the ca...