Bee-Coming Strong

Jazianzza shows us that when we know our bee-ing, we can have delightful Bee-Comings. I like her!

Ramakrishna Ananda, master yogi and founder of the Yoga Center of California

My 7 year old grandaughter and I had so much fun reading this sweet story together.  Lilah especially enjoyed practicing the breathing techniques after each chapter.  I saw her playing with her 4 year old cousin and she was teaching them to her! When she sees me getting a little anxious, she very calmly say’s to me, ”Grandma, just close your eyes and breath.”

Becky C, Huntington Beach, CA

Young and old, we can all relate to Anandamayi Baker’s tale of a young bee finding her way in the world. With the help of her teachers, MamaQB and Tree, Jazianzza learns the power of mindfulness and focused breathing in overcoming her fears and anxieties. This book will help readers of all ages discover their own Jazianzza and learn along with her!

Dr. Praveen Akuthota, UCSD Pulmonary Physician

Ultimately Jazianzza begins to understand the invaluable lesson that it is only by being her true self that she can really connect with others and all of nature. Jazianzza’s story can encourage children to value themselves, connect with others, enjoy nature, and engage life, obstacles and all, with courage and kindness. Anandamayi Baker, Jazianzza’s translator, has given us a lovely gift by sharing Jazianzza’s story for the benefit of humankind.

Dale V. Atkins, Ph.D., Psychologist, Author, Media Commentator. Co-author of The Kindness Advantage: Cultivating Compassionate and Connected Children

Bee-Coming Strong is a celebration of how the littlest creatures can recover and learn to smell the roses once more. We know that bodies hold trauma from the sting of bullying. Since 1959, our organization, Childhelp, has rescued close to 12 million children and we know that prevention education is essential to eradicating abuse. Read to your children. Teach them body safety. Help them learn abuse is never their fault. This lovely little book of kindness principles, grounding exercises, and self-acceptance messaging is a great teaching tool. Something as small as a bee could save a life.

Sara O’Meara and Yvonne Fedderson, Childhelp Founders

This is a charming story about Jazianzza, a young honeybee, and her “coming of age” adventures. She overcomes challenges similar to those humans face and is lucky enough to have sympathetic teachers as advisors. They advise her to have self-affirming thoughts and actions and they teach her healing breathing and meditation. The author Anandamayi Baker has researched honeybee natural history and the story gains interest being told from an insect point of view, encountering butterflies and hornets as well as other honeybees. Humans, although not part of the story, are illustrated as acting out breathing and meditation activities because, after all, the advice to Jazianzza is quite sound for humans too. The illustrations by Akiko Martinache are very charming and colorful and help bring the characters to life.

John Smiley, Retired Entomologist, White Mountain Research Station, Inyo Co., California

This beautiful book  is a touching story that resonates on many levels – how we can all overcome prejudice simply by learning more about those around us. The bees learn more about someone who looks different from them and discover that they are just the same as one another. They realize that even the feared hornets are ‘people’ too. If only humanity could learn from reading this book.

Martin Dohrn, wildlife filmmaker and producer, founder and director of the award-winning production company Ammonite Films, and co-creator of the recent PBS documentary “My Garden of a Thousand Bees.”

A honey bee learns to navigate bullies, build self-confidence, and foster inner peace in this illustrated children’s book.
Jazianzza Azzaza Buzzabee is a young honey bee who cares for all creatures, including her new butterfly friend,
Lydah, who recently had a scare after being chased by a hornet. Jazianzza is concerned, as is the rest of her hive,
with the dwindling number of flowers to drink from and must cope with the bullying ways of her sister Sisizza and her
gang. But luckily, MamaQueenzieBee (aka MamaQB) is there to help Jazianzza learn new ways to handle stress
from without and within. MamaQB suggests that, just as bees shake off water from their wings, so should Jazianzza
“shake off any sadness you feel. Shake off anything that isn’t you. Just because they’re not always happy doesn’t
mean you should be the same way. Be Jazianzza in your own beautiful way.” The young bee later learns breathing
techniques via a pollen ball placed on her stomach in order to emphasize the slow in-and-out breaths used to calm
down. Everything Jazianzza discovers comes into play when she unexpectedly faces a hornets’ nest and must save
her hive. Baker’s tale provides a compelling introduction to relaxation techniques such as breathing exercises and
meditation—with readers being encouraged to try Jazianzza’s methods themselves—as well as different ways to
approach bullying and learning to believe in yourself. The hero’s childlike wonder is adorable (and pairs well with the
cartoonlike color illustrations by Martinache) and will spark a giggle or two, as when she’s remembering Lydah’s
transformation into a butterfly: “She said that first she was an egg, and then a cat or a pillow or something like that,
and she walked on the ground with a whole lot of legs!” This entertaining story delivers an engaging platform for
adults to discuss meaningful issues with young audiences.
Brimming with compassion, this sweet tale encourages readers to see the best in themselves.

Kirkus Indie, Kirkus Media LLC, 2600 Via Fortuna Suite 130 Austin, TX 78746 indie@kirkusreviews.com

Bee-Coming Strong is a heartwarming children’s picture book written by Anandamayi Baker, with illustrations by Akiko Martinache. The story follows the adventures of Jazianzza Buzzabee, a curious honeybee who lives in a tree trunk with her family. Despite coming from a large family, Jazianzza often feels left out because her brothers and sisters bully her for wearing eyeglasses and having an antenna shaped like a corkscrew. This leads to feelings of insecurity. However, with the help of her new friend Lydah the butterfly, guidance from her tree friend, and her mother, MamaQueenzieBee (MamaQB), Jazianzza begins to grow confident and learns to accept herself. They teach her practical tools for coping with her insecurities. When faced with danger, Jazianzza finds the inner strength to confront her fears and bring joy to her family.

Bee-Coming Strong is a heartfelt and educational book that imparts valuable lessons about self-acceptance, resilience, kindness, and embracing one’s uniqueness. Through Jazianzza’s interactions with friends like Lydah and the wise counsel of her mother, young readers learn practical techniques such as breathing exercises and positive self-talk to manage fears and teasing. Anandamayi Baker’s engaging narrative promotes mindfulness, emotional strength, and empathy. The book also includes lessons about the butterfly life cycle, pollination, the queen bee’s role, and plant growth. The colorful illustrations vividly depict the various characters in the story. Bee-Coming Strong is an enjoyable read filled with empowering lessons that will help children develop a love for nature while boosting their self-esteem and bravery to explore the world. Overall, this is great work!

Reviewed by Doreen Chombu for Readers’ Favorite