Bizz Buzz Boss by Natalie McKinnon

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Ill. by Margaret Tolland. Starfish Bay, 2018. ISBN: 9781760360566.
(Age: 3-6) Themes: Bees, Spiders, Animals, Respect, Behaviour Management. In Natalie McKinnon's picture book Bizz Buzz Boss a very bossy bee lords it over all the other garden creatures who are busy with their daily tasks. Little Spider loves to listen to the homely sounds as she rests in a curly leaf. She hears the 'drip, drip, drippetty-drip' of the tap and the owl family's twit-twoo (shouldn't they be asleep.) However, the bossy bee who has a strong sense of self-importance, explains that her job as pollen-collector is more significant than the worms, ladybugs and lizards.
Little Spider appeals to Bossy Bee's vain nature by suggesting the hard-working creature needs to rest, wrapped up in her silvery, sticky web. As the bee remains immobile, it observes the worm aerating and fertilising the earth, the ladybug nibbling the aphids off the lettuce and the lizard catching the pesky slugs. Humbled by these observations, Bossy Bee states,
Oh, Spider, I promise to stop being bossy.
I've learned a lesson today.
I'll respect other creatures and value their jobs.
We should work as a team every day!

There's the moral to the story, you need to value other's efforts and not brag about your own. Natalie McKinnon's simple rhyming verse spoken by each creature is overly wordy for the young readers this is targeted at. Margaret Tolland's colourful painted illustrations provide close-ups of each of the creatures working in their lush garden settings. Bizz Buzz Boss is a didactic tale suited for sharing with young audience.
Rhyllis Bignell

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