November 7, 2016
Fashion week comes to the meadow in this exuberant exploration of colors and self-expression from fashion illustrator Aponte. Smartphone-wielding, chunky-shoe-clad bugs flock to a fashion show to see the latest styles and to talk trends with Miss V. McQueen, editor of Buzz magazine: “ ‘What should we wear?’ ask the six-legged press./ ‘Who should we follow and how should we dress?’ ” McQueen offers a literal rainbow of suggestions, and readers get a front-row seat as insect models strut the catwalk, surrounded by flashing cameras and eager attendees (adult fashionistas may notice insect cameos from the likes of Anna Wintour and Bill Cunningham). “Feel light, like the clouds in the sky... wear white!” writes Aponte as fireflies walk the runway in translucent ponchos that catch the glow of their bioluminescent bodies. But whatever color, designer, or style one prefers, Miss V. emphasizes that “the most important thing to bee is... you!” Aponte’s jaunty rhymes get the job done, but the book’s real pleasures come from poring over the fanciful details of his arthropod couture creations, which feature as many boots, sleeves, and gloves as their wearers’ bodies require. Ages 3–5.
November 1, 2016
Fashion Week starring insects.Spring is here, and everyone arrives to the meadow: models, a fashion editor, viewers, and paparazzi--all insects and other creepy-crawlies. Aponte uses matte colors, often tertiary, to create bustling scenes of the lead-up and the runway show. Before the show begins, the illustrations are visually busy, with no particular place for readers' eyes to rest or focus; once the show begins, the compositions focus, though color saturation stays monotonously uniform. Various creatures walk the runway as each double-page spread emphasizes one color. The green page is conceptually inventive: models in green dresses appear reflected in the green eyes of green spectators, who hold up their cellphones to record. On the page highlighting white, fireflies--glowing in yellow-white--stride up the runway in gray-and-white capes. The inconsistent text sometimes scans satisfyingly: " 'What should we wear?' ask the six-legged press. / 'Who should we follow and how should we dress?' " Other times it stumbles: " 'It's a season to BEE!' exclaims Miss V. McQueen, / editor of BUZZ fashion magazine" (requiring incorrect syllabic emphasis). At the end, an extraneous, out-of-the-blue platitude--"In the spring, summer, fall, and winter, too-- / the most important thing to BEE is... / YOU!"--undermines the high-fashion theme and falls flat. Little fashion bugs deserve better. (Picture book. 4-6)
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April 1, 2017
PreS-Gr 2-Bright illustrations reveal the hottest trends for this season as told by Miss V. McQueen, editor of Buzz fashion magazine. As members of the press ask questions, McQueen goes through each color in the rainbow and gives a rhyming phrase to endorse wearing that hue. "Bee bold like the sun/that melts snow...wear GOLD!" Each spread shows off stylish bugs on the catwalk, featuring outfits, lights, and backgrounds in that color. When pressed at the end and asked, "What's the most important thing of all to be?" the queen bee replies: "YOU!" VERDICT A "chic introduction to the colors" and a positive message make this book a fun but additional purchase for most collections.-Emily E. Lazio, The New York Public Library
Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
November 15, 2016
Preschool-G It's fashion week in the insect kingdom, and every six- and eight-legged creature wants to know what's in. One bug-eyed fashion reporter gets the inside scoop from the queen bee herself, Miss V. McQueen, editor of BUZZ fashion magazine. In jaunty, loose rhyme and with plenty of puns, the story follows the insect pair as they peruse the catwalks and Miss McQueen spotlights couture in every color of the rainbow. Stop 'em dead like the ladybug in spring . . . wear RED! Aponte's snazzy illustrations composed of exaggerated shapes in bold, electrifying colors capture the frenetic atmosphere of a fashion show, highlighting models in sassy, stylish outfits traipsing down the catwalk and audience members looking no less chic. Happily, according to Miss McQueen, there's no ensemble quite so stylish as confidence: In spring, summer, fall, and winter, toothe most important thing to BEE is YOU! With eye-catching artwork and a playful atmosphere, this whimsical, vibrant tale with an empowering message is a bold addition to picture books about colors.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)
January 1, 2018
FIT faculty member Aponte takes a high-fashion approach to a colors concept book. This premise �cf2]could�cf1] work, except the book is arbitrarily set at a cartoony insect fashion show and told in poorly scanned rhymes: "'It's a season to BEE' exclaims Miss V. McQueen, / editor of �cf2]BUZZ�cf1] fashion magazine." The eye-catching monochromatic palettes, shifting as McQueen introduces each color, are about all that's "stylish" in this book.
(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)