Bee & Me

Accord Publishing's Patented AniMotion™ Illustration Technique Catapults Bee & Me to New York Times Best-Sellerdom

Author Elle J. McGuinness and illustrator Heather Brown, together with Accord Publishing are revolutionizing children's publishing and championing a timely initiative to encourage the environmentalists of tomorrow by teaching them the importance of their impact on the environment today inside the New York Times best-selling Bee & Me (Accord Publishing, an imprint of Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC, $16.99, New York Times Children's Best-Seller List debut on January 18, 2009).

Designed as the first title in a line of environmentally aware children's titles from Accord Publishing, Bee & Me is the first book in publishing history to employ the use of full-color AniMotion™ panels to engage readers by enhancing the action and immediacy of the story with patent-pending, full-color, visual movement on the printed page. This innovative paper technology, created by Accord Publishing's paper engineer Jeff Cole and designer Katrina Ford, increases the power and impact of the story through animated windows embedded in the illustrations that wondrously appear to move with a mere turn of the page.

As much an educational experience as it is a visual one, Bee & Me tells the endearing story of a boy who overcomes his fear of bees after a friendly honeybee explains to him the personal and environmental impact bees have on our lives—from making honey that enriches the majority of our food supply to keeping flowers and trees alive, to creating beeswax that's used for medicinal, home decorative, and lighting purposes.

To put the bee's importance in perspective, a recent Cornell University study estimated that honeybees annually pollinate over $14 billion worth of seeds and crops in the United States. Zac Browning, vice president of the American Beekeeping Federation explains, "Every third bite we consume in our diet is dependent on a honeybee to pollinate that food."

Considering the wide-reaching impact of bees on our lives, the mysterious disappearance of large portions of the honeybee population in recent years is strikingly unsettling. According to The New York Times, the bee losses are ranging from 30 to 60 percent on the West Coast, with some beekeepers on the East Coast and in Texas reporting losses of more than 70 percent. Sadly, beekeepers consider a loss of up to 20 percent in the off-season to be normal.

With honeybees suddenly becoming their own media buzz word and our lives being so reliant on their continued success, it is vital to introduce children to the role that bees play in our lives and the reasons we should respect these black and yellow-striped wonders instead of fearing them.

Complete with an illustrated appendix filled with fun and informative bee facts, and even instructions on how best to help bees continue their work effectively—such as leaving out a glass of water to help bees cool their hives, or planting more blue and purple flowers (bees' favorites)—Bee & Me inspires personal awareness at the earliest of ages, instills curiosity, eases children's fears, and simply delivers an exciting aesthetic experience along with an environmentally responsive storyline.

Bee & Me is certain to add much needed buzz to story time and children's book publishing with its unique, full color AniMotion™ panels and Accord's AniMotion™ series' focus toward encouraging the environmentalists of tomorrow. Look for future eco-friendly AniMotion™ titles including Baby Turtle's Tale (April 2009) and Nocturnal Creatures (Fall 2009) next in this revolutionary publishing series.

About Accord Publishing

Accord Publishing is the Denver-based children's publishing and calendar division of Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC, and has a long tradition of excellence in publishing innovations. See what all the buzz is about at: http://www.andrewsmcmeel.com/accord.html

---

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — Contact: Kathy Hilliard, (800) 851-8923, khilliard@amuniversal.com

---

Bee & Me

By: by Elle J. McGuinness and illustrated by Heather Brown
ISBN: 978-0-7407-7734-9
Format: Hardcover, 8 x 10, 28 pages
Price: $16.99 ($18.99 Canada)