Thursday 5 June 2014

Picture Books (Preschool)


NZ Writer and Illustrator
Joy Cowley, illustrated by Richard Holt
Buzzy Bee’s Birthday Party (and three other stories)
ISBN 978 1 9272 6206 1

Buzzy Bee Baby-Sitter (and three other stories)
ISBN 978 1 9272 6209 2
Upstart Press 2014  $29.94pb each 64pp

Themes: Colours/ Left and right/ Fractions/ Maths concepts/ Sizes/ Shapes

Maybe you had Buzzy Bee, the brightly coloured pull-along toy that has become a New Zealand icon, as a child? Maybe your children or grandchildren play with them? Joy Cowley does it again! I would never have thought of equating Joy with Buzzy Bee (and Dorable Duck and Mary Lou and the rest of the gang) but here they are in all their jellybean colour glory showing us maths concepts, distinguishing between left and right, looking at sizes and shapes.
Richard Holt has illustrated the toys absolutely faithfully and the results really do leap off the page. All this is in eight simple stories (in the two books) that small children will relate to completely. Do Google Buzzy Bee for a history of the toys and a list of famous people who have visited New Zealand and gone home with one in their luggage as a present. Was Prince George presented with one while he was here? Surely!

Preschool up / Age 3 up

Enquiries to Kevin Chapman (09) 280 3202, or (021) 338 553.
 Email kevin@upstartpress.co.nz

 
Joy in her Featherston Garden 2012

Image Terry Coles (copyright)

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