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When Annie falls asleep, she visits a magical place she calls Dreamland...
My youngest, Annie is a night owl with a wild imagination, a thirst for knowledge and a talent for avoiding bedtime!
Annie in Dreamland, was born out of an attempt to 'promote' sleep as fun.
Annie and I would imagine characters she could visit in her dreams.
Sewing the seeds of a story and encouraging Annie to continue the adventure in 'Dreamland', actually worked!
So, I got to thinking...
Could I take the idea to print?
In March 2020, the outbreak of Covid-19 and subsequent loss of my business, gave me the opportunity I needed.
I sat down and put one of the stories down on paper.
Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite
As Annie falls asleep each night, she slips into a special place she calls her Dreamland. Here she can do whatever she wants. It’s a fun place to be. One night, she dreams of walking through her backyard. She’s startled by a tiny voice calling out for help. Looking down, she notices a honeybee lying on the ground, resting. Fortunately, Annie didn’t step on the honeybee. The honeybee introduces herself as Beatrice and explains why she is so tired. Annie offers to help and in the magic of Dreamland, Annie shrinks in size, adds some stripes, wings and antennae, and flies off to help Beatrice collect nectar from the garden. It’s a grand adventure and Annie even gets to tour the inside of the beehive and meet the Queen bee. While having fun, Annie learns a lot about honeybees. Guess what she wants for breakfast when she wakes up the next morning?
Tony Searle’s picture book story, The Very Tired Honey Bee, is a clever way to introduce young readers to the wonders and importance of honeybees. The plot follows a little girl’s trip into Dreamland and her interaction with a friendly, busy, and tired little honeybee. Each step of Annie’s adventure with Beatrice is a learning experience for both Annie and the young reader. The author uses simple language and moving words to trace the story with fun and adventure, as well as imparting important honeybee knowledge. As a bonus, there is an interesting fact sheet on honeybees at the end of the book. There is so much we don’t know and appreciate about the importance of honeybees: how they pollinate flowers, collect nectar for the hive to make honey, and, something often overlooked, how well they work as a team. A wonderful way to inspire young readers to dream and to understand and appreciate all the wonders of nature, especially the honeybees. Love the illustrations!
