Bizzy Mizz Lizzie

Bizzy Mizz Lizzie, the "busiest, buzziest bee" in Hivetown, is a star student who gets straight Bs on her report card (by Bee School standards, that's even better than As). She dances, acts, takes violin lessons, plays baseball, and is a member of the Junior Honey Scouts. She does all this and more because she wants to be "the best bee I can be" and one day be worthy enough to meet the Queen Bee. Lizzie doesn't understand how her best friend Lazy Mizz Daizy can just lie around all day among the flowers. How unproductive! When Hivetown sponsors a Spelling Contest (which Shannon refrains from calling a Bee), Lizzie is all-in because the winner gets to meet the Queen. But Lizzie is so exhausted from studying that she falls asleep at precisely the moment she's about to win. Ironically, it's only when Lizzie slows down that she meets the Queen, who validates Lazy Mizz Daizy's philosophy: sometimes taking a break and doing nothing, not everything, allows us to be our best. Shannon's illustrations are impressive in their ability to portray a wide range of emotions, activity, and detail. The art is expressive and exuberant, bursting with yellows, pinks, and reds. Lizzie's activity is mirrored in visually busy illustrations, and readers will enjoy discovering plenty of bee-related puns in the details. Peppered with alliterative bs and zs, the lighthearted text delivers a message that everyone can appreciate: even busy bees need to stop and smell the roses. julie hakim azzam