Are We Still Friends?

K-Gr 2—Not only do next-door neighbors Beatrice, a bear, and Abel, a mouse, run complementary enterprises but they also happen to be the best of friends. While Beatrice's honeybees pollinate Abel's apple orchard, the pair share in the work of harvesting honey and picking apples. In the wintertime, they stay tucked indoors enjoying apple butter toast and tea with honey. When Beatrice mistakes Abel's hollering about a beesting for an attempt to be silly, he gets offended, and they begin a turf war and name-calling battle that jeopardizes both of their endeavors. The bees pay their feud no mind, and eventually the two sort out the confusion and return to their happy arrangement. A good example of how a misunderstanding can be suddenly blown out of proportion, the story employs excellent vocabulary, such as yammered and spluttered. Gomez's folk art—style illustrations are cheerful, if a little young for the presumed audience.