If a Bumblebee Lands on Your Toe

 

Written by Cynthia Mackey

Illustrated by Vikki Zhang 

Yeehoo Press

978-1-953458742

40 pp.

Ages 3-8

April 2025 

 

If a bumblebee landed on your toe, most people would react poorly, swatting away the bee–even if it hadn't harmed you–and screaming with panic. In most cases, the reactions would end up causing more stress and perhaps harm. But, given the opportunity to see the situation from a different perspective and truly appreciate the moment, If a Bumblebee Lands on Your Toe illustrates the beauty of an occasion that brings nature to our feet, in more ways than one.

From If a Bumblebee Lands on Your Toe, written by Cynthia Mackey, illustrated by Vikki Zhang

Victoria's Cynthia Mackey does not recommend throwing caution to the wind, but she does suggest that in those moments of stillness there are ways to keep you safe by taking lessons from our natural world. It may start with pretending you're playing a game of freeze dancing or imagining yourself as a boat frozen into a lake.  

From If a Bumblebee Lands on Your Toe, written by Cynthia Mackey, illustrated by Vikki Zhang

It's being slow and meticulous, "like a garden snail inching under a daisy on a rainy day" or like a hibernating bear awaiting spring. Of course, when you must act, you should do so with caution, like blowing at the bee as the wind might, or crying out for help gently like a "chickadee who alights softly upon a willow branch."

From If a Bumblebee Lands on Your Toe, written by Cynthia Mackey, illustrated by Vikki Zhang

Finally, you may need to shoo that bumblebee away like a lion flicks its tail "shaking off water after a bath" but still you appreciate the bravery, cleverness and calm you showed.

 

Many will use the word whimsical to describe Cynthia Mackey's story of quiet strength when faced with a bumblebee landing upon your body. She recognizes that it is still a potentially dangerous situation, but Cynthia Mackey takes the reader outside the body to find fanciful examples of how to behave. Whether it is drawing wisdom from a mouse or an owl, a lion or a snail, there is insight about being cautious and safe when faced with a bee that could sting. And through the process of calming oneself to not startle the bee or harm it and consequently ourselves, Cynthia Mackey asks us to be mindful of the moment, and to not focus on what could happen but instead to look at what we can do now to make things right. All her examples of how to behave help us see the beauty in the natural world as its animals move, react and live with each other. 

From If a Bumblebee Lands on Your Toe, written by Cynthia Mackey, illustrated by Vikki Zhang

The whimsy of Cynthia Mackey's words are fully realized in the artwork of Chinese artist Vikki Zhang. Her artwork which is blend of different media are complex spreads of movement and ornamentation, rich in line and shape. The flowers and the patterns in the backgrounds and in the clothing are extraordinary and would be a delight to colour if left as black-and-white outline drawings. But, perhaps most charming is the bee which is depicted as a fairy with delicate wings, ballet flats and a striped dress. She is dainty and almost innocuous in most illustrations, which seems fitting since it is the character with the bee on her toe that is the focus. Vikki Zhang's art emulates Cynthia Mackey's message that the solution for dealing with a bumblebee landing on your toe is not with the bee but the keeper of that toe who must choose wisely and calmly to avoid serious harm.

 

So, if a bumblebee lands on your toe, there are many recourses but being calm and quiet and seeing beyond the fear and anxiety seem to be useful starting points. After all, there's a lot of beauty in the natural world and it is filled with the wisdom to handle just such a dilemma.