61) Bee & Bird by Craig Frazier

Frazier, Craig. Bee & Bird. Roaring Brook, 2011. 40 pages. ISBN: 978-1-59643-660-2

This wordless picture book is outstanding for its use of graphic design and differing perspectives. We first see black and yellow stripes up close. Next, we see a large bee on top of a red dot, with an orange triangular shape. A side angle of the bee reveals a big red bird. Only the eyes of the red bird acknowledge the bee sitting upon its head. A small image of the red bird and the bee are now sitting in a tree, with blue sky in between, and a yellow square shape. An overhead/aerial shot reveals that a green tree, with the bird and the bee, is in a yellow truck. The bird and the bee take off in flight over a solid cow pattern, and another perspective reveals the red bird sitting on top of a black-and-white cow. As if taken by a camera lens, the picture book presents different perspectives, as the bird and the bee ride together over many different landscapes, only to part–with the bee returning to its beehive. This picture book will help young children understand the concept of shapes and perception. Children will want to re-look at the book for the strong solid colors, and the different range of patterns and shapes–stripes, cow-patterns, checkers, cones, and waves. (Picture book 2-5) Author-Illustrator website can be found at http://www.craigfrazier.com/.

---