May 10, 2005 - Conceived and written by Nicole Wheldon, with illustrations by Diana Zourelias-Noro for preschoolers, The 1, 2, 3 Bees: A Counting Book is a whimsical poem that teaches young ones about counting from one to ten. The sprightly color pictures of little bees waking up and buzzing about their daily routine add an appealing touch to the simple rhyme. A cheery introduction to numbers and counting.
- Midwest Book Review (Apr 05) - http://midwestbookreview.com/cbw/apr_05.htm#preschool
“ The natural reaction is to want to read the book over and over again. ”
Profile of the Illustrator, Diana Zourelias-Noro:
Diana says she "...started her career as a high-brow cartoonist at American Greetings."
She has been a freelance artist since the birth of her two children 25 years ago. Through the years she has written & drawn humorous greeting cards and related products, t-shirts, children's books and magazines - most notably Highlights for Children's Hidden Pictures. She also had a daily comics panel which she wrote and drew for 2 years on ag.com called Granny's Garden which is when she first started drawing bugs and flowers. During the summer months she has taught children's drawing and cartooning classes, and has included many of the children she has known in her illustrations.
We asked Diana, "What was your inspiration for the delightful bee characters in the 1-2-3 Bees?"
Diana: "My inspiration for the 1-2-3 Bees was the seven acre farm I lived on for seven years, in which I grew many flowers, including a field of sunflowers with many bumblebees. I also owned many cats, dogs, hamsters, an iguana, a rabbit and a potbelly pig named Dudley."
MS. Zourelias-Noro now lives on a hillside castle in Aspinwall.
Contact info: http://www.geocities.com/dzignsbydiana or http://www.evelynejohnsonassociates.com/ to view her portfolio.
A Highlighted Title in the Independent Publisher for Feb 05:
"The 1, 2, 3 Bees has been chosen for Independent Publisher Online's Highlighted Titles Section for February." The Highlighted Titles Section includes "what we consider to be the best of the newly released independently published titles received and reviewed by our editorial staff over the past few weeks.
These books are honored each month for exhibiting superior levels of creativity, originality, high standards of design and superior production quality."
http://www.independentpublisher.com/ipreview.lasso
"The 1,2,3 Bees is a marvelous counting book that is vividly illustrated with friendly critters who eat and fly about the pages. The numbers one through ten come to life right off the flowerbeds on which the smiling bees reside. The natural reaction is to want to read the book over and over again. By doing so, a child should learn how to count in no time. Nicole Wheldon has created a delightful book that I find my daughter toting around the house on her own." Rated five stars.
- Robert W. Kurkela, Author: Lilies on the Moon
The book is distributed by Juvenile Solutions Inc for Juvenile & toy stores (www.juvenilesolutions.com), Quality Books (Library distribution), Biblio Distribution (Bookstores) and Baker & Taylor (Bookstores).
The 1-2-3 Bees book has been featured in April's "Books and More for Growing Minds" (Baker & Taylor's monthly catalog)
The 1, 2, 3 Bees
Nicole Wheldon & Diana Zourelias-Noro
Acmon Blue Publishing
PO Box 475, Tujunga, CA 91043
$17.95 www.acmonblue.com
