Bee-ing There: Little Bea by Daniel Roode

Little Bea
is a busy, busy bee.
When the sun wakes up,
so does she.

The whole wide world!
She needs to explore it

Like the members of his target audience, Daniel Roode's Little Bea (Greenwillow, 2011) is an energetic youngster who is up with the sun to start having fun. A true busy bee, her energy level gets her up and buzzing as soon as her friend Mr. Sun tells her "Good morning!"

There are friends to visit: Bea has to awaken Owl and rouse Duck and Goose for their daily game of chase. There is Beaver, who needs her help with his daily chores, and, oh, yum, there is Bear with honey to share.

With friends like Deer and Cricket and Moose to play games with, Little Bea is abuzz all day, until suddenly she notices that the moon is on the rise!

It's time for Little Bea to go home, too!

"Good night, Little Bea." says Moon.

For busy young ones, Little Bea's joy in meeting the new day is perfectly natural, good for toddler storytimes and a nice transition to bedtime. Daniel Roode's illustrations, done up in bright yellow, black, and primary colors, catch the infectious enthusiasm of Little Bea to a T.