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Summary
Summary
This sweet companion to David Ezra Stein's award-winning Leaves celebrates the joy of savoring something you love.
Bear is ravenous when he wakes up from his winter sleep and has one thing on his mind: honey! Alas, it is too soon for honey, so Bear tries hard to be patient. The world around him is waking up, too, and he soon remembers all the other things he loves, like warm grass, berries, and rain. He's almost content, until, one day, he hears a welcome buzzing sound . . . and finally it is time for Bear to delight in the thing he relishes above all others--and it is as warm, golden, sweet, and good as he remembered.
Author Notes
Award-winning children's author and illustrator David Ezra Stein was born in Brooklyn, New York. His works include Interrupting Chicken, Leaves, Monster Hug!, Tad and Dad, Pouch!, and Ol' Mama Squirrel. In addition to winning the Ezra Jack Keats award in 2008 and a Caldecott Honor in 2011, Stein's books have been named to several major book lists, such as Publishers Weekly' s Best Book of the Year, Kirkus Reviews' Editor's Choice, and School Library Journal' s Best Book. He lives in Kew Gardens, New York, with wife, Miriam, and their son, Sam.
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Stein returns to the ursine protagonist and forest setting of his picture book Leaves. After waking up from hibernation, Bear goes on a quest for honey: "spicy, aromatic,/ sparkling with sunlight-Honey!" But it is not yet summer and too early for honey-which Bear learns after sticking his nose into a tree, where busy bees are working, and getting stung. While he waits for honey season to arrive, Bear finds other sources of joy, including frolicking in the rain and under a waterfall. But finally, at the sound of a buzz, Bear goes running to the source: "'Honey!' Just as good as he'd remembered." Working in deceptively simple visual vignettes enclosed in rough-edged panels, Stein's wriggly pen-and-ink lines bring a quality of vitality to the natural features of Bear's habitat. This gentle outing about waiting and appreciating concludes in autumn, as Bear sits atop a hill, bathed in moonlight, remembering summer and "how good it had been." Ages 2-5. Agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
This follow-up to the author-illustrators Leaves (2007) may come over a decade later, but its as if little time has passed: It was his second year, the book opens---and theres ebullient Bear, waking from hibernation and declaring, Im back! Bears stomach grumbles, but its too early in the year for honey. He patiently keeps busy under the fat clouds and hot and still days of spring and early summer, trying his best (but failing) to forget that its not yet time for his favorite snack. Stein captures Bears wide-eyed enthusiasm for discovering the natural world around him, as Bear eagerly puts all his senses to work--smelling the warm grass, feeling the sticky sap, playing in the rain, and more. The use of repetition (it was too soon for honey) and the steady pacing, which then accelerates once Bear finally hears buzzing bees, make for compelling page-turns. Steins clean page design and uncluttered compositions keep the focus on the endearing protagonist, who is depicted in relaxed, carefree lines, with warm yellows and greens dominating the pages. Steins writing is filled with vivid descriptors--gold meadows, bursting berries, slowly flowing and aromatic honey. Any toddler who has ever waited patiently (or not-so-patiently) for something will relate to the sight of Bear racing toward the bees (Ouch!). Once single-minded Bear does get the honey, readers cant help but rejoice with him as he delights in it. Simply delicious. julie Danielson (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Bear has awoken from his first hibernation. With his stomach growling, he digs and scrapes for something to eat. Suddenly he recalls . . . honey! He runs to the tree where bees live, but it's too early in the year for honey. Now everything he sees reminds him of it, from the sticky sap and the golden meadow to the sweet smell of warm grass and the clear, flowing stream. He waits and waits and tries again, only to be stung by the bees. After more time passes, he finally feasts on honey, a summer highlight to remember as fall returns. The text emphasizes Bear's single-minded pursuit, but when he must wait, it turns to his delight in the world around him as the spring turns to summer and then fall. The short sentences and the many sensory words work well, helping readers to share his experiences. Created with bamboo pen, watercolor, and touches of white acrylic, the freewheeling, expressive illustrations bring Bear's world to life on the page. A well-crafted sequel to Leaves (2007).--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2018 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-The curious young bear from Leaves returns for "his second year," fresh from hibernation and eager for the taste of honey. Though he can remember it -perfectly, "spicy, aromatic, sparkling with sunlight," he soon realizes that it's too early in the season to find any honey. In the meantime, the other delights of spring and summer beckon, and the bear relishes warm grass, bursting berries, and rushing rain as he waits for the telltale buzz that heralds his favorite treat. Highlighting the natural greens and golds of summer, Stein's pen-and-watercolor illustrations are suffused with loose, childlike exuberance, while their relatively small scale (each page is bordered with ample white space) invites a sense of intimacy, drawing readers into the bear's anticipation and eventual satisfaction. Throughout, the art balances the straightforward sensory details of the text, with some actions described and others-such as a well-deserved bee sting on the nose-purely visual ("Busy bees don't like to be bothered."). -VERDICT A seasonal read with storytime potential and staying power, Honey is not to be missed.-Rebecca Honeycutt, NoveList, Durham, NC © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A young bear wakes from hibernation with just one thought in mind: honey.He's hungryit's been months since he's had anyand his surroundings conspire to remind him of honey: the warm, golden light of the sun; the clear, flowing water of a nearby stream; the delicious scent of a blossoming fruit tree. He's not yet 2, and with the persistence of a toddler he returns over and over to the hollow tree where a bee colony lives only to find that it's "too soon for honey." Framed, energetic watercolors show him making do, finding nourishment in grasses, pine cones, and berries as the spring turns to summer. But he keeps returning to the hive only to find that it's still "too soon" and even earning himself a sting on the snoot. " Ouch!' (Busy bees don't like to be bothered.)" Stein's figures are gestural, loose, simple lines delineating his protagonist, whose round head and simplified body will foster an easy relationship with young readers. Eventually the bear loses himself in the delights of summer before a buzz reminds him and he is finally able to enjoy the "warm, golden, sweet, clear, slowly flowing, spicy, aromatic, sparkling with sunlightHoney!' " Stein appropriately sidesteps the all-too-frequent mistake of depicting the hive as an external, hanging globebut he also elides the near-total destruction a real bear would likely wreak upon the tree in pursuit of the honey.Sweet as, well, honey, if a bit disingenuous. (Picture book. 3-5) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
