Hedgy-A and the Honey Bees
By Ryan Mizzen
Illustrated by Paul Winward
Rated: 4 stars ****
Hedgy-A and the Honey Bee by Ryan Mizzen, is a charming book that has an important environmental message which is written well for 5-7 year old children. It has great rhythm to its story-telling rhyme, which really captures children of these ages and has a good energy to it as well as some humour. Check out more in the blurb and review, then find out more about the author and how he has become quite a man of influence in matters of the environment. Find out why he has decided to write a book for the 5-7 years old range in a section below as well and why he is writing, what is The Time To Care Series of which this is book 1. Each further book will have a different character and ecological issue being addressed in story form in a way that has been written through being inspired by Julia Donaldson.
You can also discover a bit more about the illustrator, who has delightful pictures to entice children in and bring the story alive. You will also find buy links too.
I thank Ryan Mizzen for contacting me via my Contact Me part of my blog and for sending me, at first a PDF copy of Hedgy – A and the Honey Bees and then one of his “author copies” amongst his busy keyworking schedule.
Blurb
“We have to do something before its’ too late,
To help save the bees from a horrible fate”
One day – Hedgy-A is visited by his friend Brizzy the honey bee. Hedgy-A learns that honey bees are becoming sick because chemicals called pesticides are being used on plants. But he knows just what to do and sets off for London to see the Queen, who he hopes can save the bees!
Link to purchase: Amazon
Libraries can order from Ingram Spark
Review
Hedgy-A is a very cute hedgehog who lives beneath a beehive in this lovely rhyming book with beautiful illustrations of Hedgy – A and his friends and surroundings. The book gently encourages kindness and helping others. It is also about how bees make their honey and the impact the environment created by human’s, including farmers have on them. Hedgy – A wants to save the bees and travelling off to London, he visits in hunt of the Queen to tell her what is going on and to ask for her help to also save the day for the bees. It becomes fun, but also really packs a punch as it draws young children to the realities of what is happening.
You of course don’t need to see The Queen to help the bees, but it does all however create a very fun and inspired story that has a healthy helping of passion and strength of character at its heart that shows working together and caring can help make a postive impact in what is a lively story.
This is a book that schools and parents/caregivers alike can use well with their 5-7 year old children. It has enough to entertain and feed their curiosity about the natural world as it delivers an important message.
A note from the author:
What’s unique about the story and why did I write it?
This story is unique in the sense that it is drawing attention to pesticide use for a younger audience,
who will inherit the world we leave behind. Bees are crucial to our food supply and their numbers
have drastically plummeted in recent years, raising massive concerns. Research has shown that this
is linked to pesticides and neonicotinoids, some of which are banned in the EU, but still available
elsewhere. Meanwhile the UN has shown that it’s possible to eliminate pesticide use and still
produce high yields of crops with other measures. But the pesticide companies have formed a strong
lobby group and have no intention of stopping production.
About the Author
Ryan is a Children’s Book Author. He holds a First Class BSc in Climate Change (Hons) from Coventry
University and a Distinction in an MA in Creative Writing (via Distance Learning) from Teesside
University. He has also completed online writing courses with Oxford University and the University
of East Anglia.
In 2018, Ryan was named as an Environmental Changemaker, following on from the UN Young
Champions of the Earth competition, where he proposed using fiction as a form of science
communication to spread awareness about the climate crisis to a wider audience. Prior to which, he
worked in the energy efficiency and offshore wind industries for four years.
He’s had climate change articles published by The Independent, Africa Geographic, Thomson Reuters
Foundation, The South African and he’s been interviewed about sustainability by Thrive Global. He’s
also written for outlets including IKSurfMag, Kiteworld Magazine, Age UK, The Writing Cooperative
and Holistic Health Magazine amongst others. His other interviews appear in the Huffington Post
and Authority Magazine.
His debut self-published picture book, Hedgey-A and the Honey Bees is now available using the buy link – Amazon
“A person of great influence.” – Thrive Global
About The Illustrator
www.paulwinwardillustration.com
Paul has over 30 years’ experience working in advertising and in a freelance capacity. He is an
illustrator with extensive experience designing books, e-books, logos and illustrations for websites.
Some of his other illustrated books include The Three Detectives, Kob the Antelope, Snowflake’s
Adventure on Mount Lifelong, The Journey to River Rose, and 1,2, Think!
Bookmarks and Stages by Lou 