Bee-Wigged [Hardcover]

Cece Bell (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

To bee or not to bee? A lonely, overlarge insect tries a new identity on
for size in a wacky, wonderful tale of true friendship.

All Jerry Bee wants is to make friends, but that's hard to do when you're the most enormous bee anyone has ever seen. Then a wig changes Jerry's life: when he puts it on, he looks just like a boy! Jerry creates quite a buzz with his kindness and generosity, and for the first time, he has friends. But will his new pals stick around when his true identity is revealed? In this zany and tender tale, written and illustrated by Cece Bell, Jerry finds that having friends you can "bee" yourself around is as sweet as honey.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2—Jerry is a very large and very sad bee. He is the size of a child and, though quite friendly, people are afraid of him. One day he finds a discarded wig, puts it on, and is immediately mistaken for a boy, which is amusing since he now looks like a bee with a bad toupee. Though the scruffy-looking hairpiece covers his tiny antennae, humorous pictures reveal two small wings on his black-and-yellow-striped back, which apparently cause no consternation. Jerry enters school and his courteous, complimentary, and helpful manner makes him extremely popular with his classmates and the staff. When his wig is accidentally blown off and it's obvious that he's really a bee, the old prejudices return and everyone runs from him. Fortunately, and amazingly, his wig turns out to be a particularly hairy guinea pig who saves the day by reminding everyone of Jerry's sterling qualities. Engaging, digitally combined ink and acrylic illustrations in bold colors with black outlines highlight this funny and ultimately cheerful tale of acceptance.—Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Cece Bell is the author-illustrator ofSOCK MONKEY GOES TO HOLLYWOOD, SOCK MONKEY BOOGIE-WOOGIE, SOCK MONKEY RIDES AGAIN, and the board books BUSY BUDDIES and FOOD FRIENDS. She lives in Virginia.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick; Library Binding edition (November 25, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763636142
• ISBN-13: 978-0763636142
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 0.5 x 9.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #440,024 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Review from Books That Heal Kids, August 8, 2010

By 

Books That Heal Kids "Roxanne" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bee-Wigged (Hardcover)

All Jerry Bee wants is a friend. But everyone is terrified of him because he is an enormous bee. They are afraid he could sting them. Jerry tries to change the way he looks by wearing a wig that he finds on the sidewalk. And it works! No one is afraid of him anymore. By the end of the day he makes friends with everyone at school and the kids adore him. They like him because he is helpful, funny, artistic, and generous. He's a good friend! The wig changes Jerry's life. But one day the wind blew Jerry's wig off. Everyone immediately runs away until.....the wig starts talking. Turns out the wig is a squirrel who saves the day by reminding everyone of Jerry's many positive qualities. This book cracked me up the first time I read it. I love sharing it with the students. I also like how the "wig" character stands up for Jerry Bee. Good life lessons in this one. And the whole squirrel/wig thing is kinda funny. I'm an elementary school counselor and really appreciate books like this one that teach about differences.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic, October 14, 2009

By 

Lorna in CT "Lorna Doone" (CT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bee-Wigged (Hardcover)

This is a funny, heart warming book. I read it to my five year old, but my older kids and their friends were listening and loved it so much they asked me to read it again. It is one of my five year old's favorite books. It has a very nice message and the illustrations are great!

5.0 out of 5 stars such a sweet, funny story!, January 19, 2011

By 

K. MIller - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bee-Wigged (Hardcover)

My seven-year old son and I both think this story is wonderful - the funny little details in the pictures, the speech bubbles, the absolute absurdity of the "enormous bee" and his furry friend. It always cracks us up. But it also has a kind, sympathetic main character and a nice message about acceptance and the power of positive actions. My younger son is attracted to the bright, colorful pictures and the simple text, which can be read with a lot of expression (and silly voices). I think this might be my favorite Cece Bell book yet (although Sock Monkey Boogie Woogie is really hard to beat).