Jazi and I are thrilled to tell you that Bee-Coming Strong just received the prestigious Literary Titan Gold Book Award. Literary Titan describes itself as “an organization of professional editors, writers, and professors passionate about the written word.” They wrote a beautiful, insightful 5-star review of the book a few months ago and put it into consideration for an award as an outstanding children’s book.
| In their rating system, their 5-star review is for “a perfectly executed story that leaves you wanting more. Highly recommended.” At the end of their review, they noted:“Bee-Coming Strong is thoughtfully crafted for a young audience, delivering not only an entertaining story but also valuable life lessons. It stands out as an engaging and educational book, ideal for young readers who are beginning to explore chapter books.” Here’s a copy of their press release. I love that they understood the book and entitled their review, “Grow in Self-Esteem and Kindness.” What a marvelous title! https://literarytitan.com/2024/03/16/grow-in-self-esteem-and-kindness/ It’s April and time to think about flowers for all our pollinator friends. In my little garden, I make sure every plant supports bees, butterflies, and/or birds. An easy way to support all pollinators is to plant flowers with different blooming cycles. This helps a lot, as does not using pesticides. 100 Plants to Feed The Bees – Provide a Healthy Habitat to Help Pollinators Thrive published by Xerces Society is a valuable resource as well as an engaging journey through the world of flowers. I wrote Bee-Coming Strong to plant seeds of kindness, compassion, inclusivity, and love for bees and all of nature. The seeds include tools for helping children deal with anxiety and help children know they are inherently precious. As MamaQueenzieBee told Jazianzza: “You need to know that who you are matters. You are unique, unlike anyone else. Yes, you, our little Jazianzza! Small as you are, I promise you, your tiny buzzing life has meaning, just like our big friend Tree, your new friend Lydah Butter Fly, and even the beautiful rainbow who can leave so quickly after flying across the sky.” Understanding this reality benefits our children, ourselves, and the entire planet. It would have made such a difference in my early life if I had had even a glimpse of my inherent value. Jazi’s story offers that glimpse to every child who reads it. Whether we’re aware of it or not, we are each planting seeds all the time. We may never know how they will bloom. My grandfather planted in me an awe of the insect world. His vast insect collection was displayed at a booth at the Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island in 1939. There were tarantulas bigger than my hand, incredible walking sticks that were both teeny-tiny and huge, and butterflies so gorgeous I couldn’t take my eyes off them. In my early years, he would bring a few boxes of his collection to my school for show-and-tell. Over 50 years later, at my mom’s memorial service, a man introduced himself and said he still remembered my grandfather’s insect collection! We never know the impact we might have on children, our friends, our community, nature, humanity, and the world. But if each of us strives to plant seeds of goodness each day, it makes a difference. Jazianzza learned that kindness can dramatically shift a situation. Her self-esteem increased because of her experience and the positive turn of events her kindness propelled. In the spirit of Earth Month, I invite you to join me in planting flower seeds that will benefit pollinators. Even seeds in a pot on the porch can be of benefit. May we also plant seeds of kindness as we go through our day. Being present and offering a warm smile and a kind word to strangers wherever we go takes no extra time, and it can brighten another person’s day at a time when they may need it. If you want to help spread MamaQueenzieBee’s wisdom, please consider writing a review on Amazon or goodreads and asking your public library to include Bee-Coming Strong. With the Kirkus Review which librarians often rely on, the two 5-star reviews, and the recent Literary Titan Gold Book Award, hopefully they will be open to including it in their children’s book section. Links to these reviews are provided at the end of this newsletter. Jazianzza and I wish you and your family an Earth Day month filled with peace, joy, love, kindness, and many serendipitous events, which many of us simply call “miracles”! Literary Titan review: https://literarytitan.com/2024/03/16/grow-in-self-esteem-and… Kirkus Reviews: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/anandamayi-baker/… Reading With Your Kids review: https://readingwithyourkids.com/bee-coming-strong-by-anandam… |
“The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
| And as always, please feel free to share this newsletter with friends who have children or grandchildren, or are teachers, caregivers, bee lovers, or anyone else you think might benefit/delight from reading this. They can subscribe by simply going to AnandamayiBaker.com and filling out the form. |