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Summary
Summary
From the bestselling author of The Dark comes another brilliantly illustrated picture book that takes on an intense childhood emotion--this time, anger--in a rollicking, kid-friendly way.
Whether you're a kid or a bee, sometimes you feel so mad, you buzz around looking for people to sting and trouble to make. See how one boy, a swarm of bees, and a whole town can get riled up and then find a way to feel better through the comfort of unconditional love and community.
Printed in a brilliant palette of primary colors, brimming with beautiful dots and stripes, Rilla Alexander's art sings. Not since David Shannon's No, David! have readers been given the pleasure of witnessing such uproariously terrible behavior, unbridled emotion, and ultimately, such comfort.
Author Notes
Lemony Snicket is the pen name of Daniel Handler, who was born on February 28, 1970. As Lemony Snicket, he is the author of and appears as a character in the children's book series A Series of Unfortunate Events. He has also written or contributed to other works using this pen name including Baby in the Manger, The Lump of Coal, The Composer Is Dead, and Where Did You See Her Last?.
Under his real name, Handler is the author of several books for adults including The Basic Eight, Watch Your Mouth, and Adverbs.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Being mad is an honest emotion, and sometimes "It can feel good to be angry." In Snicket's latest picture book, a young boy with a wagon full of tomatoes is just that-angry. He incites a swarm of bees by throwing a tomato at a beehive. He and the swarm menacingly move throughout the town, "Swarm of bees! Swarm of bees! Oh no! You are so angry! What will you do?" until the swarm has spooked everyone, but has stung no one. Unsatisfied, the boy begins throwing tomatoes at everyone, reeking havoc. In a satisfying turn of events, and before too much damage is done, a beekeeper comes and calms the bees, and an adult comes and calms the boy leading to the realization, "It can feel good to be angry. It can feel better to stop." They find a better use for tomatoes with a big spaghetti feast bringing everyone together affected by the boy's ire. Snicket's dark humor permeates and pairs well with Alexander's bold color illustrations that highlight the angry, yellow, beelike antagonist, his red wagon of tomatoes, and the swarm of bees as they move through a blue and teal world done with stamp and digital collage. Readers will delight in finding hidden clues of what is to come. Overall this is a great lesson that sometimes we all have a bee in our bonnet, and it can affect others, but still comfort and redemption can be found. VERDICT A buzzworthy book that tackles an often negated feeling in a bold new way.-Danielle Jones, Multnomah County Library, OR © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
A boy shies a tomato at a hive of bees, releasing a furious swarm. Snicket's narrator (The Bad Mood and the Stick) addresses the bees: "You are so angry! What will you do?" Alexander (A Bear Sat on My Porch Today) shows the throng as hundreds of black, gray, and yellow dots sweeping across the pages, seeking their assailant. Slice-of-life scenes spotlight characters whom the bees might sting while the text lists reasons why they shouldn't-a sailor has "been on a ship for nine months," a cat is attempting "to hide in the grass." Despite the explanations, the cross-looking boy, who himself resembles a bee, hurls tomatoes at some of them. The narrator cheers from the sidelines: "Swarm of bees, are you going to sting the boy? He keeps throwing tomatoes!" In a cacophonous climax, boy, bees, and victims race around town. A beekeeper wrangles the bees; a parent calms the boy. ("It can feel good to be angry," notes the text. "It can feel better to stop.") The message-people don't have to be victim to their emotions-is overshadowed by the all-out, Keystone Cops-style mayhem, exuberantly illustrated with Alexander's clear-cut geometric figures and bright traffic-sign colors. Ages 4-8. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
On the front endpapers, an angry-looking little boy is poised to throw a tomato at a beehive; on the title page, the bees (represented in aggregate in the stylized rubber-stamp-and-ink art as scores of dots of black and yellow) swarm out. The distressed offstage narrator addresses the bees (Swarm of bees! Swarm of bees!You are so angry! What will you do?) and follows the bees through the town, attempting to dissuade them from stinging people. Meanwhile, the boy proceeds on his way, pulling his wagon full of tomatoes, and begins to throw tomatoes at everyone the bees had left alone. The narrator is upset; the townspeople are upset; the bees continue to swarmand, now chased by everyone at whom he threw tomatoes, the boy runs for home. The spread that depicts this turn of events is one to linger over, as it pulls back to show the whole town, the bees path, the line of people chasing the boy, and the boy runningand introduces two crucial characters. We see a beekeeper, who subsequently captures the swarm of bees, now calm and ready to return to the hive; and we see the boys adult caretaker (a chef), who gives him a hug. It can feel good to be angry. It can feel better to stop. The book ends with the whole group enjoying a feast of pasta (with tomato sauce, of course) and, finally, with the boy cleaning up his mess. The cumulative-mischief/chase/feast plot recalls that of Vipont and Briggss classic Elephant and the Bad Baby (rev. 6/70)but with a message about anger. Its okay to feel like a swarm of bees sometimes as long as you express your anger less destructively; and sometimes you need a little help to let it go. martha v. Parravano March/April 2019 p 69(c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
An angry kid wreaks havoc until a father's restorative embrace brings love and forgiveness to child and community. Tomato in hand, spite on his face, a young boy pulls his tomato-laden wagon across the front endpapers, straight for a bees' nest. Readers will delight in the title page's payoff, as the nest sways from the tomato's impact and hostile bees pour forth. Through the town they fly with the boy, gauging possible targets: a sailor and his mother, workers, pets, apartment dwellers. All are considered by the clever narrator, who uses nursery rhyme-esque repetition. But then it's revealed: The boy stung all the targets with his tomatoes! The aggrieved neighbors and bees now chase the child across a map full of tomato-splattered evidence. Acting as a metaphor for the emotional states of the characters, the bees are soon caught and calmed by a beekeeper while the boy is soothed by his father's warm and loving embrace. The artwork, done with ink, rubber stamps, and digital collage, perfectly enhances the text, balancing its emotional depth with comedic beats. Rarely does a design so fully consider how images tell a story from cover to cover, from the swarm leading the eyes to the ingenious use of shapes, color, patterns, negative space, and framing. Mischief-makers will be captivated by its humor and promise of unconditional love and forgiveness; their caregivers will appreciate the exploration of emotions and possible responses. A witty, thought-provoking triumph. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Feeling ornery, a small boy takes a wagon filled with ripe tomatoes and sets out to create havoc. He throws a tomato at a black-and-yellow striped beehive, and now an angry swarm is ready to sting everyone in sight. Though the narrator begs the bees not to sting anyone and the boy not to throw tomatoes, the swarm and the child manage to disrupt the entire neighborhood anyway. Clean laundry on the line, a tow truck, a cat, and a bricklayer are just a few of the recipients of thrown tomatoes and threatening bees. The swarm is shown as a series of black, gray, and yellow dots, with one representative fully revealed as a bee with an angry expression. Rubber stamps were used to create the illustrations, which are bold and clear, with clean lines and red circles denoting smashed tomatoes. Readers follow the boy around town as he empties his wagon and is then chased by an angry mob. The moral of the story is clear: tomatoes are better eaten than thrown.--Maryann Owen Copyright 2019 Booklist
