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Phoebe Bee, who lived in the garden of the gray house, was a tiny bee. But even though she was the smallest, she was also the sweetest, although that didn’t seem to matter to the other bees. While they liked to play together in the flowers—lilies, white cosmos, marigolds, and hydrangeas—the most fun was playing hide-and-seek and then napping after an exhausting game. But her favorite thing to do was to leisurely soak up the smells from the various flowers. Some of the older bees wanted her to do this job at a faster pace, and when she did, disaster would happen. Then the other bees would make fun of her. So, she talked to her friend Beatrice Bumble who gave her wise advice. With this advice, Phoebe Bee learned some valuable lessons.
With its wondrous illustrations, this book will engage young children with vivid colors as well as a storyline that offers a variety of lessons, including allowing yourself to be true to your nature. The other lessons include how to respond to meanness through kindness as well as learning about who in your life can help you when you need it. Even for young children, beginning to learn about how to cope with bullying is appropriate. This is because many children find themselves too often in this position. The book ends with a biblical quote regarding good vs. evil, which could serve as a teachable moment about the value of goodness for many young learners, especially for those raised within a Christian belief system.