Bee Book Buzz: DOT by Patricia Intriago

Follow every DOT for a fun adventure through this whimsical book written and illustrated by KidLit's own Patricia Intriago. By the way, DOT is a finalist for the 2012 Children's Choice Book Awards.

Enjoy this Bee Book Buzz with Patricia.

If you were a bee, which kind (queen, drone, worker) would you be and why?

Definitely a worker bee. I love to work and I enjoy the camaraderie of women friends. I would be happy spending my days nestled deep within flowers all day. Plus, I look good in a yellow jacket.

Bees pollinate most of the vegetables and fruits that we love to eat. Did you eat your vegetables when you were a kid?

Yes, I had no problem with vegetables and I love them today. I forced my sons to eat their vegetables as young children and today they willingly eat their vegetables without being told. Although sometimes peas are a problem.

What's your favorite fruit or vegetable?

Tender lettuces and herbs of all kinds are my favorite vegetables (assuming herbs are in that category). I could even be happy just smelling them. As for fruits, I love cherries, peaches, plums, and barely ripe bananas. If avocado is a fruit, we can add those too.

Bees pollinate plants and flowers, too. What's your favorite flower?

I love flowers: Roses and Andromeda for their smell. I love to visit the Bronx Botanical Garden in the late spring when their roses are in bloom; it’s amazing how differently roses can smell. Cabbage roses are my favorite flower for their beauty. I love hydrangeas (especially the light green ones). I’ve always wanted to have a garden made up of different kinds of white flowers. Growing up in Miami, there was a gardenia bush outside my bedroom window. In the morning, my room would be filled with that strong fragrance and it was heavenly. (I’m not a huge fan of tulips, carnations or impatiens.)

Are flowers mentioned in your latest book?

I’m trying to find a way to use a flower in my next book (because I love them so much) but it’s taking a lot of thought.

Wax on, wax off. Beeswax is useful for so many products, including skincare items and candles. On your most recent birthday, were you able to blow out all of your candles on the first try?

Because of the huge waste of wax, I only allow one candle on my cake. Yes, I was able to blow it out.

 My causes are bees, trees, seas, and all things affecting our environment. What's important to you besides writing for children and or young adults?

I would like people to know that I stand for kindness, fairness and seeing things with a sense of humor.

Bee Book Buzz: POOPENDOUS! by Artie Bennett

Get ready. The Bee Book Buzz today is all about a fun, new picture book—POOPENDOUS! by Artie Bennett. His first book, THE BUTT BOOK is fall-on-your-backside, laugh-out-loud hilarious. I heard Artie read POOPENDOUS! at a indie bookstore to a stupendous group of kids and their parents. It's a close call as to who was laughing harder at his new book—those kids or their parents. Yes, Artie has a way with rhyme, especially when it comes to poop.

Enjoy the Bee Buzz with Artie Bennett. No need to hold your noses for this sweet interview. 

Bees pollinate most of the vegetables and fruits that we love to eat. Did you eat your vegetables when you were a kid?
I can't say that I did, for we didn't eat many vegetables when I was a kid. We were a meat-and-potatoes family, with the occasional can of creamed corn or green beans tossed in. But I made up for it when I went off to college in Georgia and discovered a world of fresh vegetables. Wonderful things like kale and collards and crowder peas were a revelation to me. Now I don't feel fulfilled unless I have several servings of vegetable per day.

What's your favorite fruit or vegetable?
I go bananas over bananas. I can eat one a day and never tire of them. Come to think of it, I rarely get sick, so perhaps "A banana a day keeps the doctor away."


I love all green veggies: broccoli, spinach, asparagus, Brussel sprouts. In fact, I never met a green vegetable I didn't like!

Bees pollinate plants and flowers, too. What's your favorite flower? 

Hmm. I think I love irises. They're delicate but showy, and come in such a lovely rainbow of colors.

Are flowers mentioned in your latest book?We don't mention any specific flowers in Poopendous!, but we do have a verse about "growing umpteen beans and greens galore." And we talk about how "critters who feast on fruits help those plants to put down roots." And interestingly, my first children's book, The Butt Book, has a bee butt right on the cover!
Wax on, wax off. Beeswax is useful for so many products, including skincare items and candles. On your most recent birthday, were you able to blow out all of your candles on the first try?

I didn't have a cake for my most recent birthday, but at my age, it would take the help of a swarm of bees to blow out all the candles in one whoosh!

Have you  ever been stung by a bee?Yes, when I was a rambunctious youngster. But the swelling soon went down and I didn't blame the bee for being a bee. 

Were bees part of your childhood in other ways?Yes, I was a great speller as a lad and participated in--and won--many local spelling bees. And these days I can even spell hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian. Didn't think I could do it, did you?

Books and bees make life sweeter every day. If you had to choose: Honey or sugar?
I love them both and could never pick one over the other. I like sugar in my coffee and honey in my tea. And there's nothing like a dollop of honey to ease a sore throat and put everything right!

Bee Book Buzz: JEREMY OWL & UNDER THE BANYAN TREE by Toni De Palma

Today's Bee Book Buzz is all about Toni De Palma, KidLit author of the critically acclaimed middle grade novels JEREMY OWL and UNDER THE BANYON TREE. Toni's young adult novel out later this Spring is THE DEVIL'S TRIANGLE about 17-year-old Cooper, a bad boy who gets another chance at life after he burns his school and dies in the process. When he returns to earth, Cooper realizes that earning a chance at heaven is not as important as gaining the love of the girl he loves.

Here's the Bee Buzz with Toni. Enjoy!

If you were a bee, which would you be and why?

Definitely a worker bee. Worker bees get things done. Nobody ever wrote a book without putting a lot of effort and work into it.

Same question for your main character? Queen, drone, or worker?
All of my characters are worker bees too. Their stories compel them to act and to use their wits when facing major challenges.

Bees pollinate most of the fruits and vegetables we love to eat. When you were a kid, did you eat your vegetables?

I must confess, I hated vegetables, but now I love them. Someone once told me that as kids, our taste buds are very sensitive so the strong taste of vegetables is actually a turn off to us. I'm not sure that this is scientifically true, but my tastes have definitely changed now that I'm an adult.

What's your favorite fruit or vegetable? (more than one is fine). 

I love spinach! As a kid I used to watch Popeye with my grandpa all the time.

What's your main characters' favorite fruit or vegetable? 

Jeremy would rather dissect something creepy and crawly. He's not too particular when it comes to food. Irena loves tropical fruits like mangoes. Cooper is too busy battling the Devil to think of food. He's currently on a diet of fast food, I'm afraid.

Bees pollinate plants and flowers, too. What's your favorite flower? 

I love sunflowers and daisies.

Wax on, wax off. Beeswax is useful for so many products, including skincare items and candles. On your most recent birthday, were you able to blow out all of your candles on the first try? 

Yes, but only because my husband didn't put the total number of candles that reflect my age :)

Have you ever competed in a spelling bee?

I never did, but my son did. Ironically, the word he lost on was success. He's not forgotten how to spell it since!

My causes are bees, trees, seas, and all things affecting our environment.

What's important to you besides writing for children and or young adults? 

I love animals, especially dogs!!

Books and bees make life sweeter every day. If you had to choose: Honey or sugar? Honey - it's natural and a gorgeous color. I love the way it reflects the light as it dribbles into my tea.

Bee Book Buzz: ZAPATO POWER #4: FREDDIE RAMOS MAKES A SPLASH by Jacqueline Jules

If you haven't met Freddie Ramos, you're in for a treat in today's Bee Book Buzz. You'll want to run right after this character in ZAPATO POWER, a fun chapter book series by KidLit Author Jacqueline Jules, to see how he uses his amazing shoes.

In ZAPATO POWER #4: FREDDIE RAMOS MAKES A SPLASH, the boy with super-powered purple shoes attends a summer camp with swimming lessons. Over the week of July 4^th, Freddie must deal with a bully who has just moved into Starwood Park, a fear of putting his head into the water, and the disappearance of his special shoes from the boys’ locker room. To make matters worse, someone is messing up Starwood Park with wads of sticky purple bubblegum. Can Freddie save the day and his summer?

Here's the bee book buzz with Jaqueline Jules...

If you were a bee, would you be a queen, drone, or worker?

This is a tough question. What am I? Or what would I like to be? The life of a queen bee sounds much more appealing than a drone or worker bee. But lying around doing nothing but laying eggs is not the life for me. I am a worker bee— a workaholic who doesn’t know what to do with herself when she’s not writing, teaching, or promoting her books. Most of the time, I find work invigorating and a busy life of keeping a community buzzing sounds the most fulfilling. In the human world, activity is a much better lifestyle than couch potato.

Same question for your main character? Queen, drone, or worker?

Freddie Ramos from the Zapato Power series is definitely a worker bee, someone who likes to move at super speed helping others.

Bees pollinate most of the vegetables and fruits that we love to eat. Did you eat your vegetables when you were a kid? What's your favorite fruit or vegetable?

My father had a huge vegetable garden in our backyard when I was growing up. Our whole family spent a lot of time weeding the garden and picking vegetables. I can remember eating homegrown tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and even corn during the summer. These days I like to munch on apple slices and celery while I am working at the computer. In the evening, I enjoy oranges for dessert. And it’s not that unusual for me to have berries with a sliced banana for breakfast. I am not a strict vegetarian, but vegetables and fruits are the main component of my diet. At restaurants, I am usually happiest with a grilled vegetable platter.

What's Freddie's favorite fruit or vegetable?

Freddie Ramos likes carrots best, just like his pet guinea pig, Claude the Second. Crunchy foods like carrots help Freddie think when he’s trying to solve one of the Zapato Power mysteries.

Bees pollinate plants and flowers, too. What's your favorite flower? Are flowers mentioned in your latest book? While I’m not much at picking favorites of anything, I will choose the Daylily as a flower I admire. It is easily transplanted and tends to thrive, even under harsh conditions. I once wrote a poem about Daylilies. Here is an excerpt:

Daylilies, wait in my new yard—

dense and in need of division.

Daylilies, willing to move without fuss

to a less crowded spot

where they will brighten the view

from a different window.

Daylilies—can be ripped from the earth,

carried miles away, and still bloom

with bright orange smiles in a new location.

They are tolerant of drought,

equally in love with sun or rain,

able to extend their long green arms with ease.

Wax on, wax off. Beeswax is useful for so many products, including skincare items and candles. On your most recent birthday, were you able to blow out all of your candles on the first try? I’m at the age where I only do one candle, so I had no problem with it.

How old is Freddie? I haven’t told the reader the exact age of my character, Freddie Ramos, in Zapato Power. I’m hoping readers in grades kindergarten through fourth grade will connect with him, and giving him a precise age might dampen that. In my mind, Freddie is a third grader.

My causes are bees, trees, seas, and all things affecting our environment. What's important to you besides writing for children and or young adults? I work part-time in an elementary school as a writing resource teacher, so I am passionate about education and literacy projects for children. I am also passionate about health care access for everyone who needs it.

Books and bees make life sweeter every day. If you had to choose: Honey or sugar? I enjoy dipping apples in honey, so if I could have just one for a special occasion, I would choose honey.

BEE BOOK BUZZ: DOG GONE by CYNTHIA CHAPMAN WILLIS

Today, the bee book buzz is all about Dill and dog named Dead End. In DOG GONE, you might hear some barking, along with the buzz about this wonderful middle grade novel by KidLit Author, Cynthia Chapman Willis. 

In DOG GONE, twelve-year-old Dill is desperately trying to keep her family from falling apart. Her mother has died, her father is throwing himself into his work as a result, and her dog may be getting into trouble that might have something to do with the pack of dogs that is destroying local livestock. How far will Dill and her best friend, a boy nicknamed Cub, go to uncover the truth and hold together a family that seems to be unraveling?

If you were a bee, which would you be and why?
a) Queen (hive revolves around her. She lays around 1500 eggs a day for two to three years)
b) Drone (impregnates queen and dies)
c) Worker bee (Works non-stop building hive, pollinating, gathering nectar, making honey, feeding baby bees. Lives about 6 weeks and dies)

 I think I would be a worker bee. Working non-stop building, pollinating, gathering, and making honey sounds the most like what writers do when putting together stories. And I am happiest when I am writing and creating stories. 

Same question for your main character? Queen, drone, or worker?

I think Dill, the main character in DOG GONE, would also be a worker bee. Dill is quite the busy girl in the story. She takes care of her dad and grandfather, cooks and cleans, and works at her local stable, all while trying to figure out if her beloved dog has been getting into trouble.
 

Bees pollinate most of the vegetables and fruits that we love to eat.Did you eat your vegetables when you were a kid?

Most of them. I have always liked vegetables, although I didn't like peas as a kid and I've never liked celery. Now I like peas, but celery and I still don't get along.

What's your favorite fruit or vegetable? (more than one is fine)

I love figs, avocados, and cherries. I even have fig trees (5 of them) that grow yummy figs during the summer. 
What's your MC's favorite fruit or vegetable?

Apples, with carrots as a close runner up.

Bees pollinate plants and flowers, too. What's your favorite flower?

Either a rose or a black-eyed susan. I can't decide which is my favorite.

Are flowers mentioned in your latest book?

I have butterfly bushes with purple flowers in the novel that I am working on now. 

 Wax on, wax off. Beeswax is useful for so many products, including skincare items and candles. On your most recent birthday, were you able to blow out all of your candles on the first try?

Yes, but I've had years of practice.

How old is your MC?

Dill is twelve years old.

My causes are bees, trees, seas, and all things affecting our environment.What's important to you besides writing for children and or young adults?
I love animals, so I am always pulled toward helping and protecting them.

Books and bees make life sweeter every day. If you had to choose: Honey or sugar?

Honey! 

BEE BOOK BUZZ: TRY NOT TO BREATHE by JENN HUBBARD

Buzzing today about TRY NOT TO BREATHE (Viking, February 2012), a new book by Jenn Hubbard. Jenn is a fellow member of the KidLit Authors Club. Her first book, THE SECRET YEAR, is a must read and I'm sure this new book will be, too. 


And guess what? Jenn's launch party for TRY NOT TO BREATHE is tomorrow, February 4th at 1:00 p.m. at the always wonderful Children's Book World in Haverford, PA. 


Now, here's the buzz on Jenn and TRY NOT TO BREATHE:

In the summer after his suicide attempt, sixteen-year-old Ryan struggles with guilty secrets and befriends a girl who’s visiting psychics to try to reach her dead father.

If you were a bee, which would you be and why?

a) the queen (hive revolves around her.She lays around 1500 eggs a day for two to three years)

b) a drone (impregnates queen and dies), 

c) or a worker bee (Works non-stop building hive, pollinating, gathering nectar, making honey, feeding baby bees)

I would be a worker. I work two jobs, and I don't have the glamour or power of the queen!

Did you eat your vegetables when you were a kid?

I ate them then as a duty; now I enjoy them. 

What's your favorite fruit or vegetable?

Fruit: cherries. Vegetable: broccoli. 

Bees pollinate plants and flowers, too. What's your favorite flower?

Are flowers mentioned in your latest book?

The lilac is one of my favorites, and there is a scene involving lilacs in my book. The main character is recalling some time spent with a girl on whom he has a tremendous crush, and they were near a fragrant, blooming lilac at the time, so the scent is woven in with his memory.

Beeswax is used for so many things, including candles. On your most recent birthday, were you able to blow out all of your candles on the first try?

I think once you pass twenty, you no longer try to have a candle for every year!

How old is your MC?

He is sixteen.

Did you ever compete in a spelling bee?

I won my dictionary (the one I still use) in a junior-high spelling bee. I think the winning word was "domestically." In elementary school, I won so many of our class spelling bees that the teacher resorted to trying to find unusual words just for me. I remember when she threw "camouflage" at me. As luck would have it, I had seen the word in a book only a few days earlier, and it stuck in my head! I remembered thinking that even though everyone around me pronounced it cam-a-flouge, the spelling made it look like it should be pronounced cam-oo-floj. So I got that one right, too!

My causes are bees, trees, seas, and all things affecting our environment.What's important to you besides writing for children and or young adults?

Hiking and nature are big parts of my life. My latest book deals with recovery from a suicide attempt, and this concept of people putting their lives back together is  important to me. The book is about difficulties, but it's also about hope, and moving forward.

Bee Book Buzz! TOUCH THE SKY: Alice Coachman, Olympic High Jumper

Hear that buzzing? My new book THESE BEES COUNT! releases next month. To celebrate bees and books, I want to buzz about some of my fellow KidLit Authors during February. Enjoy some fun bee buzz about these wonderful new books.

First up on the Bee Book Buzz, meet author Ann Malaspina. Her wonderful new picture book is one to buzz about, especially in 2012 for the upcoming Summer Olympics.

Touch the Sky: Alice Coachman, Olympic High Jumper (Albert Whitman & Co., 2012) illustrated by Eric Velasquez

When Alice Coachman was growing up in Albany, Georgia, there was no field where an African-American girl could do the high jump. So she made her own crossbar with sticks and rags. She went on to win national medals with Tuskegee Institute's famous Golden Tigerettes track and field team.  At the Summer Olympics in London in 1948, high flying Alice became the first black woman in the world to win the Olympic gold.

If you were a bee, which would you be and why?

a) Queen (Hive revolves around her. She lays hundreds of eggs a day for two to three years)

b) Drone (impregnates queen and dies)

c) Worker bee (works non-stop building hives, pollinating, gathering nectar, making honey, feeding baby bees. Lives about 6 weeks and dies)

Ann: I never knew bees had such tough lives. I think I'll stick with being a human.

Same question for your main character? Queen, drone, or worker?  

I do know Alice trained really hard, year after year, to become the top female high jumper in the world. So in a way she was both a worker and a queen bee.

Bees pollinate most of the vegetables and fruits that we love to eat.

Did you eat your vegetables when you were growing up? 

Yes, I did. Believe it or not, I miss my mother's lima beans. Where have lima beans gone?

What's your favorite fruit or vegetable?

A ripe avocado, which I'm pretty sure is a fruit, though it seems like a vegetable!

What's Alice’s favorite fruit or vegetable?

Alice always sucked on a lemon slice before she competed in the high jump. She felt the lemon juice gave her energy and good luck.

Bees pollinate plants and flowers, too. What's your favorite flower? 

My favorite flower is a tulip. The street where I spent some of my childhood was Tulip Lane.  I always try to plant a few more tulips in my yard every fall.

Beeswax is useful for so many products, including skincare items and candles. On your most recent birthday, were you able to blow out all of your candles on the first try? 

Well, my husband just put three candles on the cake. I don't know what that means, but I did blow them all out.

How old is Alice in your story?

Touch the Sky follows Alice's life from when she was a young girl in Albany, Georgia, to an Olympic competitor in her twenties

My causes are bees, trees, seas, and all things affecting our environment.

What's important to you besides writing for children and or young adults?  

My next book is about Susan B. Anthony, and learning about her life made me realize how important it is to join in the political process and vote in even the smallest local elections.

Books and bees make life sweeter every day. If you had to choose: Honey or sugar?
Honey, especially on my mom's baklava.


Sweet!