The Way of the Hive by Jay Hosler is an interesting and engaging graphic novel fusion between anthropomorphized animal fiction and cleverly incorporatThe Way of the Hive by Jay Hosler is an interesting and engaging graphic novel fusion between anthropomorphized animal fiction and cleverly incorporated science nonfiction about honey bees. I understand that this is a rerelease previously published as Clan Apis, but as I never read the original publication, I don't have much perspective beyond that. However, I enjoyed The Way of the Hive--the art is bright and cheery and evocative, with so many details that back up the scientific data we are learning about the world of honeybees from our narrator, the honeybee Nyuki. We follow Nyuki from the beginning of her life to the end, and along the way learn about the entire life cycle of honey bees and the world they inhabit. It's heavily anthropomorphized, as I mentioned, with humorous dialog and a goofy but likable main character, as well as her friendship with other bees and even a dung beetle. I'm not sure what the name Nyuki means, but later in the story, her friend is named Melissa, which means "bee", so I found that clever too. It was a fun read.
I think this book is smart enough, with nice enough art, to be enjoyable for adults, but interesting and compelling enough, without being too complicated, for younger readers to enjoy as well. I could see it being a good addition to school libraries. I enjoyed this quick and easy read, which I finished in one setting. Thank you to #NetGalley and Harper Collins for sharing a temporary advanced digital copy of The Way of the Hive with me in exchange for an honest review. ...more
Living with Mochi is a cute, relaxing easy read, that is nevertheless not particularly memorable. As a fellow dog owner of a slightly spoiled only dogLiving with Mochi is a cute, relaxing easy read, that is nevertheless not particularly memorable. As a fellow dog owner of a slightly spoiled only dog, I could relate to some of the scenes, and chuckles at others. I'm not sure if the author was exaggerating Mochi's food habits for humorous effect, because if not, he eats like Garfield, but isn't going to live nearly as long. So that made me a little uncomfortable for his sake. But it was otherwise light, cute reading that I finished in one sitting. The art is simple black and white sketches, along the lines of Sarah's Scribbles. If you are a dog lover and enjoy personal webcomics like Sarah's Scribbles, but with less angst and more chubby pugs, this might be exactly the sweet, humorous comfort reading you're looking for.
Thank you to #NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for sharing a temporary digital advanced copy of #LivingwithMochi in exchange for an honest review....more
Sloth and Squirrel in a Pickle by Cathy Ballou Mealey and Kelly Collier is a cute, silly little story about a squirrel and a sloth who take jobs doingSloth and Squirrel in a Pickle by Cathy Ballou Mealey and Kelly Collier is a cute, silly little story about a squirrel and a sloth who take jobs doing pickle packing in order to raise money for a bicycle to share. These jobs work out about as well as you'd expect them to, but with an ingenious twist at the end. The art is fun and bright, and the two main characters accept each other for who they are, and work around their differences. Also, there's a sloth and a grumpy peacock boss and lots of pickles. This is a fun book to share with kids.
Thanks to #NetGalley and Kids Can Press for sharing a temporary digital #advancedcopy of Sloth and Squirrel in a Pickle in exchange for an honest review....more
World of Wonders is a gentle, reflective collection of nature essays by poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil. Nehukumatathil takes us on a gentle, round-about tWorld of Wonders is a gentle, reflective collection of nature essays by poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil. Nehukumatathil takes us on a gentle, round-about tour of her life so far, by way of illustrated individual essays about nature that tie into her own life in various ways. Whether it's being reminded of her mortality while diving with a whale shark or recalling the tedious road trips and carefree joys of childhood summers, that included catching fireflies, or taking her young sons to enjoy the beautiful of nature with her, her memories are inextricably interwoven with her experiences with the natural world. Nezhukumatathil also reflects on what it meant for her to be a brown woman, a child of immigrant parents, growing up in mostly rural white spaces in the United States, and what it means to now be a brown mother raising little brown boys in that same country years later. She talks about her teaching work in college academia, about dating and marriage, about being a sister and a mother and a daughter and a wife and a friend. It's a lovely little collection that was soothing to read during a stressful pandemic year. Whether you want to learn a little bit more about sometimes obscure living creatures, or understand the experience of descendants of immigrants of color in the United States, or see the way it all ties together, or all of the above, I recommend this short but lovely collection for you....more
Thanks to Callisto Media/ Rock Ridge Press for sharing an advanced digital copy of this coloring book, Butts, Bleps, and Beans Cat Coloring Book, withThanks to Callisto Media/ Rock Ridge Press for sharing an advanced digital copy of this coloring book, Butts, Bleps, and Beans Cat Coloring Book, with me. I am unable to print off any pages, so I have no idea how fun they actually are to color. The illustrations themselves vary, with some more polished and professional and visually pleasing than others. I like the organization of the book, divided into various poses that cats present, from sharing their butt with you as a sign of friendship, to showing bleps (when their tongues poke out--apparently as an aid in smelling) or beans (their little toe pads) to various poses they strike, such as sploots (spread out with feet behind them) to squares (tucked neatly into rectangular shapes when napping comfily). There are 35 pages to cover, and if I'm reading the digital copy correctly, each picture has a blank back to it. This is a fun book for a cat lover who enjoys coloring too, especially if they're not too picky about the quality of the illustrations. I'm grateful to the publisher for sharing a free advanced copy with me, even if I can't do much with it in a digital format. This is my honest opinion....more
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