Book Review: The Little Bee by Nicola Killen

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The Little Bee  by Nicola Killen  is a children's picture book about a girl name Ollie who follows a bee to a magical, secret garden. But, the next day, the beautiful garden was gone, and the little girl misses her new friends. What will she do? This beautiful book has an expected publication date of May 5, 2026. I'd like to thank NetGalley, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, and Beach Lane Books for approving my request for a digital Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of The Little Bee . I received a copy for free in exchange for my honest review. Nicola Killen wrote such a beautifully worded story that I found myself immersed in the story, and I'm not even the target audience. It's a charming tale that should encourage children to explore nature and make them want to plant their own secret garden.  Equally beautiful were the illustrations. I found myself taking the time to actually look a the pictures as I read. It's a great story to read   at bedtime  with ch...
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Book Review: Karen's Roller Skates (Baby-Sitters Little Sister, #2) by Ann M. Martin

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In Karen's Roller Skates (Baby-Sitters Little Sister, #2) by Ann M. Martin, Karen Brewer is staying at her father's house for a long weekend. When she attempts a trick on her roller skates, Karen falls and breaks her wrist. This is the second book in the Baby-Sitters Little Sister series, and it's a super cute book for children between the ages of five and eight. Like the first book in the series, Karen's Witch, it teaches children a lesson . . . don't disobey your parents.

The most interesting part of reading this story as an adult was the amount of detail included about getting a cast . . . of course pared down for children to understand. I loved the fact that the author nailed how children try to out do each other. In this case, Karen tries to get someone famous to sign her cast because one of her classmates had someone famous sign his cast. And, of course, Karen exaggerates what happened to cause her to break her wrist and gets caught, which is another great lesson for kids not to exaggerate or lie.

There really wasn't much meat to the story reading it as an adult. Because of that, I gave it three out of five stars. I might have enjoyed it more if I had been the target audience, but I did find it very believable. If you enjoyed this book, you may enjoy The Beginners (The Gymnasts, #1) by Elizabeth Levy.


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