The Rainbow Bee by Ricardo Gattas-Moras and Rob Jackson
Ready to have the “D” conversation? The Rainbow Bee book is a sweet and thoughtfully-illustrated story about a bee who is born looking quite different (with rainbow stripes) into a hive that has never dealt with “Diversity” amongst its members.
“Rainbow not only looked different, but liked different things too.”
The authors introduce surprise, conflict and vulnerability in a way that children of all ages can understand and enjoy. Rainbow, the main character in the story, is able to help the hive realize that differences can be beautiful, and should be embraced.
“We’re all a little different; some taller, some shorter, some wider, some slimmer, some yellow and black, and some rainbow. But inside we’re all the same.”
What kid doesn’t love a rainbow? In this story, The Rainbow Bee, co-authors Ricardo Gattas-Moras and Rob Jackson introduce young readers to a rainbow-colored hero who represents the joy of being unique. Rainbow is a bee unlike all the rest; he’s not black and yellow, and he doesn’t love the sweet flowers like all the rest of the bees in the hive. Instead, he is multi-colored, and enjoys the sour nectar from the flowers that often get passed over. Though it would be easy for him to be excluded, Rainbow experiences true love and acceptance from the queen bee, and in turn from his community.
At the beginning of this story, it’s easy to predict where the plot might go; once we see that Rainbow is very different, we guess that he might have to suffer cruelty at the hands of the other bees. Here’s where The Rainbow Bee breaks with tradition, and gives kids an incredibly hopeful view of how diversity can be handled.
The queen hears that some bees think Rainbow is too different to be part of the hive, and she quickly shows them that he has the same abilities, plus more, as the rest. There’s no sadness, and no isolation. Rainbow enjoys his place with his fellow bees, and is honored and appreciated. It’s a welcome change from many of the narratives in kids’ books today!
The story behind this colorful book is delightful as well! Ricardo and Rob are passionate about teaching their young son, Cy, about the beauty of diversity. This book was born out of a desire to delight Cy, an avid book lover, and reinforce the ideas that all people are valuable, and all families are beautiful. They are hopeful that their book will be a tool for parents and educators to use in showing children that being different is not only ok – it can be amazing!
Where Can I Find "The Rainbow Bee?"
You can find The Rainbow Bee by Ricardo Gattas-Moras and Rob Jackson on Amazon.
About the Authors, Ricardo Gattas-Moras and Rob Jackson
“We met in Houston, TX in 2013 and knew we had something special from the beginning. We quickly became best friends and partners in life. We’re opposites in a lot of ways and are the yin to each other’s yang. In 2016 we got married and decided to embark on our journey to start a family through adoption. A year and a half later our lives flipped upside down when we met and fell in love with our son, Cy.
He is the apple of our eye and we can’t imagine life without him. Becoming fathers and watching Cy grow has filled our hearts with so much love and joy. From the beginning Cy has been an avid book lover, mesmerized by each turn of the page. His love for reading, along with our desire to help parents and educators introduce the conversation of diversity and inclusion, inspired us to want to write our first children’s book, and we’re so thrilled with our final product, The Rainbow Bee. We hope you love it as much as we do!”
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All in all, my family and I have really enjoyed this book and we know you will too! Please feel free to leave me any comments or questions about this review. I look forward to hearing from you!
* This book was kindly sent to me by Author, Ricardo Gattas-Moras and Rob Jackson in exchange for an honest review.
