By Dustin Cabeal

My first reading of Bumblebee Grumblebee was solo. There’s not too terribly much to the story making it a quick read. Initially, I wasn’t too terribly impressed. The art was interesting, but it’s just word play and rhyming which seemed almost childish in construct.

Which is probably why my son loved. He’s at an age in which he tries to rhyme everything. Especially if a word is funny to him.

Whereas I wasn’t impressed with Bumblebee Grumblebee, my son loved it. I know this because we read it three times in one sitting. In that regard it is a very successful book. Simple, sure, but it’s quick to hook an age-appropriate reader. In the nights that follow we have re-read the book several times. Sockatoo is always a huge hit when the page comes up.

To give you an idea of the content inside look no further than the title of the book. On one page a bumblebee appears pulling a toy with a string. On the very next page the string has broken and the page reads “Grumblebee.” Simple enough and effectively funny.

The artwork has a great deal of detail for simple short panels. The story has movement as you go from one part of the story to the next. We can see the movement between page flips which helps deliver the jokes to the reader. The art itself has a pencil look to it. Very detailed, but with a flat looking color to it. My one and only gripe with the art is that the Hippopotamus looks cow-like with its features. It’s off-putting to me, but because the pages are simple and quick it’s unlikely a child would dwell on such details.

It’s the simplicity in the story and beautiful artwork that make this book enjoyable. There’s not a lot of content and it would have been nice to see a few more clever rhymes, but things like Hamster/Jamster are delightful to read and enjoy with your child. I should know, mine won’t stop reading it.