Julie Danielson interviews me on Kirkus

http://www.kirkusreviews.com/features/catching-sergio-ruzzier/

Booklist: "Bear and Bee is wrapped in cuteness."

Bear wakes up hungry from hibernation, and the only food source in sight is a beehive. When the bee on top of the hive offers up his honey, Bear says, “But what about the bee?” See, Bear doesn’t actually know what a bee is—it’s certainly not the creature he is talking to—and his preconceived notions about bees include that they’re “terrible monsters!” with “large teeth” and “sharp claws.” [...] These two unlikely friends [...] are charmers [...]. This story about snap judgments is wrapped in cuteness, making it just right for the pre-school set. — Ann Kelley

How bees look in Bear's morbid imagination.

Kirkus says very nice things about Bear and Bee

My favorite line from Kirkus' review of Bear and Bee:
The correction of misconceptions has never been so much fun. 

Here's the whole review: 

 

When a bear wakes up hungry from his winter nap, a beehive and its honey seem to be the perfect answer to his problem—but what about the bee?

While Bear has never seen a bee, he knows they “are terrible monsters! They are big, and they have large teeth, and they have sharp claws, and they never share their honey!” He explains this to a nearby bee. (The “bees” Bear imagines are green alien-looking creatures sporting horns and curling proboscises.) But as Bee points out, one quality per spread, Bear shares all those characteristics with bees, at which point Bear dissolves into tears: He’s a bee! Bee quickly corrects Bear’s mistake and reveals what he is, lack of teeth and claws and all. And as for sharing honey…he is happy to. Short sentences with simple vocabulary and lots of repetition make this a good choice for beginning readers, who can use the illustrations’ clues to puzzle out more challenging words. Front endpapers and the dedication and copyright pages make a pleasing visual beginning to this story. Best of all, Ruzzier’s pacing is impeccable, adding to the suspense of Bear’s discovery and the sweet start of the duo’s friendship. The digitally colored pen-and-ink illustrations are simple and uncluttered, keeping the focus on the two expressive friends and making this a great choice for sharing with groups.

The correction of misconceptions has never been so much fun. 

Everything is ready in Times Square

Bear and Bee is my hands!

The first advance copy of Bear and Bee is in my hands! The book comes out in March 2013 from Disney-Hyperion.

Bologna and Lisbon

I just came back from Bologna, via Lisbon. 

At the children's book fair I had a chat with Heidi about a book project of mine. 

I was also very happy to see the Disney/Hyperion booth nicely decorated with a blow-up of the cover (still not in its final look) of my Bear and Bee. To make the thing even more pleasant, I shared the wall with Matthew Cordell's Hello! Hello!  

Bear and Bee is the first of a series of picture books and it will be out in January 2013.

On my way back, I stopped in Lisbon. Here I am in front of one of the most beautiful paintings I know: The Temptations of Saint Anthony by Hieronymus Bosch. 

There are many nice things in Lisbon, including this pavement: