Jonathon Stroud states, on the front cover of Eli Brown's latest novel Oddity, that the book is "thrillingly original." So it is!
Aesthetically, Oddity is a delight for appreciators of art and design. The cover, by Chicago based Teagan White, features an intricate white and gold on black design incorporating characters and "oddities" threaded through foliage. Linocut works by Scandinavian Karin Rytter are scattered throughout the narrative.
The impressive art suitably accompanies the highly descriptive language and hefty content of this book. Oddity is not a formulaic, smashed out story. This book did not happen over night. It is finely crafted. Open at any page and read any sentence. It will be masterful.
Oddity is not for the faint-hearted or overly sensitive reader. It could be described as an alternate history/fantasy book. It is recognisably set against the backdrop of the 1800s in North America during the time of the Louisiana Purchase but it is also a fantastical other world. Springing loosely from real and sensitive historical events, a subverted world of ordinary objects possessing strange powers accompany the central character, thirteen year old Clover Elkin, as she simultaneously flees from her father's murderous killers and seeks her true identity, an understanding of her past and her true power and vocation.
Scenes are grisly and violent. Characters, even secondary characters are well fleshed out, interesting and often compellingly repulsive. Action is rapid. Clover moves very quickly from being a motherless child accompanying her physician father through the harsh poverty-struck borderlands to becoming a grief stricken orphan having to rely on her own wit for survival.
This is a complex story covering many themes, characters and subplots but no pieces fall away. All is cleverly held together. Clover has to find and destroy evil. She has to find her true power and self, taking on the healing power of her father with what she discovers of her mysterious mother and combining both to find what she is herself. The process of uncovering truths about her parents and about the past will resonate with all readers as maturity and learning uncover misconceptions about the world for all of us.
Oddity, like the Harry Potter series, like Lord of the rings, like Jack and the beanstalk, draws upon the fascination of objects with strange powers and of secret societies of collectors of various things. And these objects have powers that defy the natural order of things: a talking rooster is a brilliant military strategist, a rag doll has superstrength, a magic teapot pours never-ending tea (like our Australian cut-and come-again Magic Pudding) and undead roadkill is cobbled together with wire and junk by a seamstress witch to become malevolent vermin. Clover allies herself with a mixed bag of powerful companions on the way including a venomous Sweetwater Viper, a super-strong rag doll and a teenage confidence trickster.
Oddity is a coming of age story. It is a coming home story. It is a challenging, disquieting powerful read.
Themes Environmental disaster, Identity, Grief, Agency, The Louisiana Purchase, First peoples, Oddities, Warfare.
Wendy Jeffrey
The amazing case of Dr Ward by Jackie Kerin and Tull Suwannakit
Ford Street Publishing, 2021. ISBN: 9781925804706. (Age:6+) Highly recommended.
The amazing case of Dr Ward is a delightfully illustrated picture book which will open the minds of young readers to another time, place and person in history.
Jackie Kerin is an Australian author of non-fiction storybooks for children. Other titles by Jackie are Lyrebird! Phar Lap and Gold! Tull Suwannakit is a Melbourne based childrens' book illustrator and author. Other titles illustrated by Tull are Morphing Murphy, Sad the dog and Thimble. The amazing case of Dr Ward is the result of a powerful collaboration between Kerin and Suwannakit.
This book will provide a segue into both science and history for young readers as it is non-fiction presented through a narrative and human interest lens. In year four and five in the Australian Curriculum, children learn about the colonial period, important figures from that time and the impact of colonial endeavours on Australia. Nathaniel Ward, the chief protagonist, was a very interesting but little known (nowadays) English medical doctor and amateur botanist from the Colonial era. He developed the Wardian case. This enclosed glass case enabled live plant specimens to be moved around the world safely for the first time in the harsh conditions of sailing ships. As a result of the Wardian case, tropical plants could be brought back to the Kew Gardens and likewise exotic plants could be transported and grown in Australia.The development of the Wardian case fuelled the collection of beautiful and exotic plants and changed the global environment...but that is something for the children to research later. The book itself is a celebration of Dr Ward and his endeavours.
The illustrations are just gorgeous- softly coloured and detailed. There are detailed interiors and much beautiful greenery including scientifically labelled sketches of plants. There is a map of the world showing the path of ships between Australia and England.There are front pages of The Times from 1833 and 1842. Throughout there are delightful illustrations of Dr Ward as he pursues his project. The lovely authorial voice of Jackie Kerin, tells the story and includes the quirky little thoughts and conversations of the characters. Dr Ward is depicted as a very pleasant, gentle, possibly slightly eccentric man.
The Amazing Case of Dr Ward will be a welcome addition to libraries and childrens' home collections. It is a story which is full of warmth and wit that is sure to inspire children to think about the contribution of people in the past to our lives today. It is refreshing to read about a little-known historical figure. This unusual choice of subject matter will inspire children and teachers to think about the contributions of a greater variety of historical people than have been previously on the curriculum menu and to ask more divergent questions too.
Themes Australian landscape, Colonisation, Establishment of Botanic Gardens, Seed/plant transportation.
Wendy Jeffrey
The missing by Dirk Kurbjuweit
Text Publishing, 2021. ISBN: 9781922330444. (Age:Adult) Recommended.
This book is set in Hanover in 1923, with the aftermath of World War I and the Treaty of Versailles casting a shadow over all. This fictional account is based on the life of Fritz Haarmann (also known as ‘The Butcher of Hanover’). Haarmann was convicted for the murders of 24 boys, and believed to be responsible for more. There is a memorial to the 27 known boys in Hanover. This book contains quotations from medical reports and Haarmann’s confession in its entirety. While there will be some readers who know how this story ends, the author has crafted a novel the delves into the thinking and attitudes of the times.
The novel (translated by Imogen Taylor) begins with Inspector Robert Lahnstein searching the archives for information about 10 boys who have gone missing. He has been charged with the responsibility for solving the cases and is struggling to make progress. There is pressure from his superiors and a lack of professionalism in his colleagues.
We are provided raw, uncompromising insight into the characters of Lahnstein and Haarmann. Lahnstein is an introspective man who is full of doubts and it is through his eyes that we have a clearer understanding of the 175ers and the homosexual cultural society in Hanover. The term 175ers was coined due to Paragraph 175 of the German criminal code which made homosexuality a crime. The reader is invited to consider these insights as residing within the complex political instability of the Weimar Republic.
Ethical understandings and responsibilities related to policing and justice are explored through Lahnstein’s interactions with his father (a retired policeman) and the incompetent Muller (Lahnstein’s subordinate). The reader is prompted to evaluate the role of the community in the deaths of the boys. This is a grim, and at times confronting, book. The detail is gruesome and the grief of parents palpable.
Themes Serial Murder; Grief; Historical crime; Aftermath of war.
Linda Guthrie
Salih by Inda Ahmad Zahri and Anne Ryan
Ford Street Publishing, 2021. ISBN: 9781925804645. (Age:4+) Highly recommended.
His life and home destroyed by bombs and fighting, Salih carries all that is left on his back. He has left the sounds of crying in the night and joined others at a refugee camp where a man teaches him to paint. Here with other children, they paint their dreams and Salih puts these paintings into discarded bottles. He carries them with him as he searches for the sea, where a boat will carry them to the place of their dreams. The angry sea snatches the bottles away, almost destroying their dreams, but these are held in their hearts, until, landing on new shore, they hope that love will come to greet them.
This poignant story will tug at people’s consciences as they see a child, not much older than those reading the book, on a terrifying journey, one that starts in his family home where warm milk is given at bedtime and ice cream eaten at the park, and leads them across dusty hills, carrying all their belongings in the hope of reaching somewhere safe. Along the way Inda tells of their heartache at leaving their country, and their time in a refugee camp, searching with others for that elusive place to call home.
Ryan’s illustrations capture the unreliability of so may lives around the world. Her mixed media images portray the happy family whose lives are destroyed by war, the same group trudging towards the sea, then being tossed about on enormous waves, to find land on which all hopes are pinned. The last page is full of optimism as the bottles have been found and the children use the illustrations as kites, welcoming the newcomers.
Ahmad Zahri stories are inspired by her travels and her heritage. A doctor, she and her husband emigrated from Malaysia to live and work in Australia. Anne Ryan is an author and illustrator who lives and works in Melbourne. Teacher's notes are available.
Themes Refugees, War, Homeless, Painting, Kites, Hope, Optimism, Dreams.
Fran Knight
The Khan by Saima Mir
Point Blank, 2021. ISBN: 9780861540877. (Age:16+) Highly recommended.
A Pakistani ‘Godfather’ story set in a Yorkshire town! Jia is a determined and highly successful London lawyer, but she is about to return to her family home, to take up her role as the favoured successor to the Khan, the patriarch of the Pakistani family that runs the drug and prostitution syndicate, according to time-honoured codes of respect and honour. There are family secrets that are gradually revealed as we come to learn how Jia developed her steely resolve, and how it is possible that a Muslim woman could lead up an established crime organisation. But it is the devotion to family, and respect for women and children, which distinguishes the Muslim crime group from the new interlopers from Eastern Europe.
It’s a fascinating story. Mir takes her time to build the layers, the settings, the family relationships, and the secret tragedies, as we come to appreciate the code of honour and religion that binds them all. The Khan and his family look after the Pakistani immigrants who face racism and discrimination; when the law fails them, they take the law into their own hands. Jia has learnt how to use the British legal system to get what she wants. That same cool appraisal of what is needed stands her in good stead as she returns to the Khan family.
There are some twists to the story that will surprise readers, and leave them wanting more. Jia is such a complex and intriguing heroine, it really seems like this is only the beginning of the story, there must be sequels to follow, surely. The Khan makes for a highly original, gripping insight into the underworld of migrant groups and their daily confrontations with prejudice, inequality and abuse, a new and impressive debut in the crime genre.
Themes Organised crime, Racism, Muslim community, Honour, Women.
Helen Eddy
The storm keepers' battle by Catherine Doyle
The Storm Keeper Trilogy: Book 3. Bloomsbury, 2021. ISBN: 9781526607966. (Age:12+) Highly recommended.
This is the final episode in the trilogy involving Fionn Boyle – the reluctant hero and Storm Keeper of Arronmore, first introduced in The storm keeper's island. In this final story set in Arronmore, he must rally the islanders to overthrow Morrigan, the evil sorceress that leads the soul stalkers and is keen to take control of all the islanders. She has no idea that the loyalty of the islanders is stronger than her evil power…. But first Fionn must summon all his newfound magic to give them any chance to win the final battle. This is action-packed and steeped in magical forces swirling in and through the young Fionn.
This story has parallels/similarities to a Harry Potter story with the reluctant and brave young hero having to overcome his own personal insecurities and draw on the strength of others – older islanders and his friends, in order to have any hope of overcoming evil. The battle is both sad and intense and yet the smallest hope wins against the hopelessness of evil. Because it is the ultimate part of the story it is assumed that readers have come to the storyline by reading the previous two books in the trilogy. There is not a lot of introduction to the world of the Storm Keeper or Arronmore in this book, but it is a wonderful and inspirational tale when the trilogy is read in total.
A short recap of events so far is included, so it works as a stand-alone book for those who haven’t read books 1 and 2.
For ‘crimes against poomanity’ (that is, an epic poo and vomit explosion earlier in the series) Timmy has been sentenced to life in ‘The Pits’ deep below the Earth’s surface. He is horrified to learn he doesn’t have phone reception, let alone access to his manager, fans or any special treatment.
Timmy is selfish, vain, thoughtless, rude and obsessed with farts and poo. His greatest fear is becoming unfamous as he believes he is special and deserves adoration.
The story follows Timmy as he tries to escape from The Pits. For readers 7+ it’s highly illustrated and packed full of silliness. There are a LOT of poo and fart references, including pictures!
But there are serious themes too, mostly to do with Timmy’s loyal sidekick aptly named Ol’ Faithful. Timmy does not appreciate him, but Ol’ Faithful is a gentle and wonderful character. It’s Ol’ Faithful who says “It’s kinda nice to not be noticed. To just be able to live out your days quietly without seeking approval. To feel good about yourself without the rollercoaster of ‘likes’ and ‘dislikes’”. He also talks about loving ‘nobodies’ as they need love the most, and makes Timmy think about whether it’s possible for someone to love him just for who he is, rather than what they could get from him.
In the end we are left with a cliff-hanger – to be continued in the next instalment. The hilarious Magda Szubanski has done a great job weaving together ridiculous and thought-provoking content, including appealing to kids and adults. And the two-colour illustrations by Melburnian Dean Rankine are an absolute highlight.
Themes Humour, Fame, Friends, Ponies, Adventure.
Kylie Grant
Fantastically great women scientists and their stories by Kate Pankhurst
Kate Pankhurst, the author of the Fantastically Great Women picture book series, has now written a new series for older readers in a novel format. This first book is a compelling read and shares stories of women who have achieved amazing things in Science from space travel to volcanoes to botany. These women all fought against the odds in a white male-dominated world yet through perseverance and resilience they have been able to leave their mark and become role models for future generations. The story of Mae Jemison, the first Black American woman in space, is one of absolute dedication, racism and persistence. Her brilliant mind and obvious talent in many areas led her to achieve so much. As a young child she was curious about everything which led her to become a medical doctor, an astronaut and finally she started a company that would find ways that science and technology could support ordinary people. The story of Janaki Ammal who was born in 1897 and became a botanist is one of a strong Indian woman overcoming traditional expectations to achieve quite impressive things. During her life journey she was discriminated against, one for being a woman, also from being from the ‘untouchable’ class in India as well as having to travel to other countries at times to fulfil her yearn for research and learning.
As well as providing insightful information about the women discussed in the book, the author has also been able to provide an historical perspective of social conditions of the time. Throughout this book there are black and white graphic-style images, speech bubbles, maps, changes in text style, darkness and size all which add to the engagement for the reader.
This very worthwhile read would be a wonderful addition to any home, classroom, school or public library.
Themes Women, Scientists, History, Biography.
Kathryn Beilby
Fauna: Australia’s most curious creatures by Tania McCartney
NLA, 2019. ISBN: 9780642279545. (Age:Primary and secondary students) Highly recommended.
This engaging book provides excellent insights into the lives of some of Australia’s unusual animals. As explained in the introduction, Australia is one of only 17 ‘megadiverse’ countries. It has more animal species than any other developed country and many of the animals are found nowhere else on earth. Unfortunately, some species are endangered and very little is presently being done to reverse the losses.It’s very important that we should get to know and value our natural treasures.
Beginning with it’s startling cover, the reader is drawn into the book. Double page displays describe each important animal. As if viewing a museum display window, creatures are described in short segments that highlight location, scientific name, size, unusual features, feeding habits, and reproduction. The author uses humour, short notes and simple well designed illustrations to explain how each creature adapts to its environment. My 18 month old grandson was delighted by the illustrations, and I loved the reference to ‘drop bears’, a kangaroo wearing sunglasses, and young cassowary going to ‘daddy day-care’.
Tania McCartney has designed a beautiful book, with additional features such as descriptions of groups of fauna: birds reptiles, invertebrates, marsupials and megafauna. Creatures are given a conservation classification, extinct animals are highlighted, and a useful animal family tree explains classification. The conclusion of the book includes views of early discoveries of Australian wildlife as ‘curiosities’, an index and a glossary. The reviewer was disappointed not to see the Australian Sea-lion or the word ‘goanna’, minor oversights in a delightful book that will appeal to readers of all ages.
Themes Animals - Australia.
Paul Pledger
Building a Reading Culture: A Selection of Articles from FYI & Synergy by Susan La Marca & Pam Macintyre, compilers
School Library Association of Victoria, 2021. (Age:Adult) Highly recommended.
When finishing this wonderful collection of articles published in FYI and Synergy, I found myself enthused about the importance of promoting reading in schools and really enjoyed the historical overview given by the articles ranging from some written in 2000 to those written in 2020. The book is divided into three sections, Research and Reflections, Practice and Organisations. The Introduction by Dr Kasey, Senior Lecturer in the School of Information Studies at Charles Sturt University, summarises the contents of the book in a masterly manner and gives an excellent overview of what the reader will find in each section.
Readers coming to Building a Reading Culture could examine all the articles or, as many may do, can select articles that are pertinent to them at the time of need. What stood out for me and challenged my ideas in the Research and Reflections section was Current and historical perspectives on Australian teenagers’ reading practices and preferences by Dr Jacqueline Manuel and Don Carter (2016) which showed the genres that teens most liked to read and emphasised the importance of the English teacher on selection. This was echoed in Teen reading in the digital era by Leonie Rutherford (2017) showing top genres as Fantasy, Contemporary realistic, Science fiction, Autobiography and Biography and Action/Adventure. In Myths about children, teenagers, books and reading by Margaret Merga, the myth that all reading is equally beneficial made me think and sent me off to Merga’s website where I found many useful articles. Anatomy of a dissertation: What Emily discovered about gendered literacy by Carol A. Gordon (2015) also emphasized the importance of free voluntary reading but advised not to label books according to boy/girl in reading lists.
SLAV have chosen to make the Practice section into a print and e-book (ISBN: 9780909978037), which will be perfect for those who are mainly interested in improving their practice. In this section it was hard for me to pick articles that stood out as all were very helpful. Windows and mirrors: visibility and representation in Australian LGBTQIA+ YA fiction by Nell Day (2019) gives ideas and book lists to grow a more diverse collection. Banned books week by Sue Bursztynski was inspirational: with a limited budget, students filmed readings from banned or challenged books, engendering much enthusiasm. Practitioners would find many gems among the advice ranging from building a whole school reading culture and the importance of using data in a reading program, boys’ reading and book clubs, setting up a collection based on genres with the help of students, the use of e-books and print collections, to guidance on starting a literary festival.
In the Organisations section, more ideas to inform can be found. The importance of the Indigenous Literacy Foundation is described, and Victorians will learn about the Languages and Multicultural Education Resource Centre, while some school libraries may wish to take the opportunity to join the Stella Prize School’s Program or the ISLM bookmark exchange project.
The Contents page is clearly set out and titles of the articles give an indication of their subject matter. Bibliographies for all the articles are extensive and will provide scope for the reader to move onto a more in-depth perusal of the subject matter.
Building a Reading Culture will validate the programs that many school libraries are conducting, stimulate staff with new ideas, challenge them to improve their practice and give them access to articles and research that will be invaluable in presenting ideas to principals, staff, and parents. And it will be a boon for those updating their qualifications at university. For me it was an inspiring read, encouraging me to continue organising and promoting books through fiction reviews.
Themes Reading, Research, Reading culture, School libraries.
Pat Pledger
Move that mountain by Kate & Jol Temple and Terri Rose Baynton
A very clever back to front book which reads one way, first page to the last, and quite differently when read from the back to the front, this is a worthy successor to an earlier book, Room on our rock (2018). Room on our rock showed what happens when people reject others wanting to find refuge and when the book is read from the back, a welcome is given to those seeking shelter. So too with Move that mountain. Read in the usual way, the story ends with the puffins giving up trying to move mountains. But reread the other way, the puffins unite to form strength enough to move the whale from the beach. The problem is immense but together the puffins are able to achieve the seemingly impossible.
Told in verse form, the story can be read aloud with great effect, children predicting what the rhyming word will be, and easy enough to learn lines to read along with the teacher or adult reader. Kids will love the way the same words can mean something quite different, depending on how they are read and in what context, and rejoice at the combined strength moving the whale at the end (beginning)
The lovely watercolour illustrations will draw the children’s eyes to the detail of the animals shown and the background against what they are placed, impelling them to o come research about the place these animal live. The swirling endpapers reprise the movement of the sea and the lines on the puffins and the whale, giving a continuity of line throughout the book.
Children will be able to see that together they have a voice, that they can do something momentous by working together. Climate change is at the fore of many children’s thoughts at the moment and this book promotes a team effort to solve one of the world’s pressing problems.
Themes Climate change, Creating change, Compassion, Team work, Problem solving, Kindness, Resilience, Determination.
Fran Knight
Fourteen wolves by Catherine Barr and Jenni Desmond
This beautifully illustrated non-fiction book begins with an introduction to Yellowstone National Park USA. A vast wilderness spanning 9000 kilometres, it is home to thousands of different wildlife species and is visited by four million people each year. However over nearly one hundred years ago wolves disappeared from the park through over-hunting and the natural balance of the ecosystem began to break down. Fourteen Wolves is the story of how scientists and conservationists in 1995 began the long project to turn the park back to its once pristine condition by rewilding fourteen wolves from Canada. The story is fascinating to read and while the size of the font is rather small it does not distract from the information as it is complemented by the stunning visual images. Part One tells the journey of the wolves from Canada and the cycle of life. Once the wolves are acclimatised and then released, they move in packs and their survival begins. Their prey are the elk which have grown in number and disrupted the ecosystem. The return of the wolves has now begun to balance the ecosystem. Part Two discusses the Rise of the Wolves beginning with an explanation of the food chain. The results of the wolves’ hunting provides the reader with an understanding of how important the key predator is in maintaining the natural balance for birds, animals, plants and landscapes. Part Three conveys an awareness of How Nature Works and is followed by information about rewilding and conservation.
While this book focuses on a particular place in the USA, it gives the reader a greater understanding of how important it is for humans to carefully consider the impact they have on the environment. This book is would be a perfect addition to a home, school or public library.
Themes Rewilding, Wolves, Yellowstone National Park USA, Conservation, Environmental impacts, Ecosystems, Science, Life Cycles.
An interesting narrative, non-fiction book that tries to convey the important role faeces plays in the world and how scientists are using it to help animals and the environment.
Heather Montgomery is a passionate scientist who takes the reader along with her on field trips and to Zoom meetings as she investigates what can be discovered from faeces (or feces if you are in the USA). She has packed a huge amount of information in this novel-style book in which she uses different scientists to help her to understand aspects of their work in this field. From an inventor of a biogas powered streetlamp that uses “doggie do” as its source of fuel to identifying where poachers are hunting using the DNA found in Elephant scats.
The author injects plenty of humour through her very funny footnotes on each page, which are then fully annotated at the back of the book. It also contains a full index and a glossary of Waste Words. The cover is bright and colourful and is as attractive as her other book written within this theme called Something Rotten: a fresh look at roadkill.
The text is fast paced with a strong sense of the author's voice and is interesting enough for an adult or high school student to read from cover to cover. I am not sure younger children would bother to read it through as I did. So, my worry with this book is who is the audience? I think the form of the book could have been more carefully considered. The illustrations are only small line drawings on a few pages in each chapter. A fully illustrated non-fiction book with photographs, tables, charts etc. may have had a wider audience.
Themes Faeces, Animal droppings, Environment.
Gabrielle Anderson
Do animals fall in love? by Katharina von der Gathen and Anke Kuhl
The author of Tell Me: What Children Really Want To Know About Bodies, Sex, and Emotions (2020) has written another book focused on sexual reproduction but this time it is all about animals. Katharina von der Gathen is a German sex-educator who writes with both honesty and clever humour. This non-fiction book has a very detailed contents section with the chapters divided into three main headings: The Art of Seduction, Mating and The Babies Arrive. Within each chapter are further categories with headings such as Dance with me, When love hurts and Difficult births. The opening introductory page begins with a series of handwritten questions in speech bubbles such as Do Animals have sex too? Can animals be gay? How do elephants have sex? The introduction then continues with an explanation of the book and covers the following topics:
How they find and compete for mates The unusual ways they have sex How animal babies are conceived How they make their way into the world.
The information presented to the reader takes them on a very interesting and wondrous journey with amazing facts shared. The author uses correct terminology throughout so for many readers this may require explanation. For example the male silverfish fertilizes the female by weaving fine gossamer threads over the floor where he deposits his sperm capsule alongside. When the female silverfish detects the threads she opens her ovipositor to take up the waiting sperm.
This book is full of informative material that children will enjoy browsing through and sharing with their peers and adults. The colourful graphic-style illustrations provide an important visual and often humorous connection. This book would be a worthwhile addition to any home, school or public library with the possibility of guidance and support for younger readers.
Three highly eccentric characters, different ages and backgrounds, somehow find their paths come together, and the thing that ultimately unites them is the world of bees. Jake is a trumpet playing teenager with a mohawk haircut, his life shattered by a stupid accident that leaves him paraplegic. Alice is a middle-aged loner, trying to contain her surging grief for her dead husband. And Harry is a young misfit with social anxiety, who is always being conned by the wrong people.
Alice is a beekeeper. A panic attack whilst driving, sees her send Jake and his wheelchair off the side of the road and thousands of honeybees buzzing from upturned hives in her truck. That eventful night is the beginning of an unlikely friendship between the two. Alice comes to provide an escape for Jake from his abusive father. Jake discovers a special talent; his musical ear can recognise the sound of a happy queen in the hive. And it is true! I had to check on Google. The queen bee makes a different sound to the rest of the bees, less of a buzz and more of a piping or tooting sound!
Eventually the outcast Harry also joins their home, despite his fear of insects, and contributes his woodworking and problem solving skills. They work together to care for the bees, expand the hives and fight the corrupt insecticide company that threatens their lives.
The music of bees is a truly heartwarming story of friendship between three unlikely people. And along the way you will painlessly learn all about the lives of bees, the dedicated workers, the queen, and the amazing community that bees make up.
Themes Friendship, Outsiders, Bees, Beekeeping, Caring for the environment.
