It's Not Fair!

Children's Literature

Buzzy Bee was happy to do her bit for the colony until the day a boy laughed at her and called her a foolish worker bee. When Buzzy discovered that her kind "gather all the food, clean the cells, make the honeycomb, take care of the babies, feed the queen, air-condition the hive, and guard against enemies," she was furious! She protested that it was not fair and soon many other worker bees agreed with her. They abandoned the hive, but soon fell into noisy arguments. In desperation, Buzzy returned to her original home to seek sage advice from on older bee. She then realizes the importance of having a leader. A good lesson on teamwork and responsibility comes to a satisfying conclusion. Bold colorful illustrations follow the story that also tells about insect life. The award-winning author has other books in the "Sommer-Time Story" series that focus on character education. 2003, Advance, Ages 4 to 8.
— Laura Hummel

School Library Journal

Gr 1-4-The first book is a heavy-handed, flatly illustrated treatise on the need to have and follow a leader. When Buzzie declares it unfair that worker bees have to do all the work and convinces other bees to start a new hive with her, chaos reigns. Finally, she understands what Wizbee has been trying to tell her-that "working with a leader brings happiness" and that "it's important to let the leader tell the other bees what kind of work they should do." The text is didactic to say the least and Budwine's illustrations are sophomoric and amateurish. No self-respecting child would be moved by this preachy lesson. In Noise! Marcus and Marcella Mouse are complaining about all the noise created by the creatures of the forest. They pack up their belongings and move to the farmhouse, where they find danger at the hands of the farmer and his wife. Now they appreciate life in the forest and don't mind the noise the other animals make all day long. Although this volume has a bit more of a story, the cartoon illustrations in washed-out colors feature awkwardly drawn animals, some clothed and some not. Neither book is quality literature.-Sandra Kitain, Abrams Hebrew Academy, Yardley, PA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.