Enjoy spring and summer, whatever the weather, with this joy-filled wordless picture book.

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The Beast from the East is still in full swing: does anyone remember what March is supposed to feel like?

But don’t panic! You can still experience spring with this lovely little find on my picture book shelf.

What’s it all about?

Bee-&-Me by Alison Jay is the simple tale of girl who rescues a bee on a stormy night and helps him grow. The two of them go on an amazing adventure to fill their city with wildflowers and bring back the lost bees.

Further to the delicate illustrations and wise insights from Alison Jay, one of the most stunning things about this book is that it doesn’t use any text at all. Wordless picture books – like those in my article for Knights Of Publishing – can help readers expand their perspectives, vocabulary and imagination, and I know my imagination was running wild with Bee-&-Me!

Wordless picture books (such as those beloved classics from Shaun Tan and David Wiesner) have become increasingly popular with both children and adults alike. They allow the reader to use their own words and description to animate the images, and think more in-depth about the story’s meaning.

Saving the world

Bee-&-Me is about wildlife conservation and how we can bring happiness to others by thinking of the wider world.

Bees and other pollinators have suffered from loss of habitat and the rise of dangerous ‘acute risk’ pesticides over the past 15 years. While many initiatives have led to wonderful wildflower meadows in edgeland areas and brilliant companies like Seedball helping us to sow bee-friendly wildflowers in our own gardens, there’s still a long way to go.

There are so many ways you can help bees and stories like Bee-&-Me really highlight the need for the caring, gentle and fearless approach we must adopt to save our wildlife.

 

Surprise!

Bee-&-Me made me smile a lot: I could enjoy it again and again. My copy even came with a secret packet of wildflower seeds so I can bring spring into my own home!

This book is a gorgeous reminder of joy, friendship and the amazing things bees can do for our world.

Find your own copy of Bee-&-Me on the Old Barn Books website (£10.99).