For as long as anyone can remember, the Honeyguide Bird and the African Honey Badger have been performing a gentle ritual of friendship: Honeyguide finds a honeycomb; Badger breaks it open; and then the two buddies share the luscious sweetness within. But then, one day, everything changes. Badger guzzles all the honey himself! Young readers of Jan Brett's tale of the African plains learn, however, that greed often leaves a sour aftertaste. A charming story, majestically illustrated.
Publishers Weekly
Brett's (The Umbrella) intricately detailed watercolor and gouache art spotlights the wildlife of Botswana's Okavango Delta, where the winged honeyguide, a sparrow-like bird, and a honey badger (whose markings resemble a skunk's) "are partners when it comes to honey." The little bird routinely guides Badger to beehives, where he uses his strong claws to break open the honeycomb and "together they share the sweetness." But one day, after Badger refuses to share, and the sly bird teaches him a lesson. She leads Badger over land and water crying, "Honey, honey, honey!" and brings him to an acacia tree. However, with a lift of the flap, readers discover that the tree's low-hanging branches camouflage not a hive but rather a ferocious-looking lion (one paw in evidence offers a clue). "Lion, lion, lion!" reads the text as the angry cat chases Badger ("Swish, swish through the grass... Boom, boom over the hollow log") while Brett offers readers a stunning tour of this diverse and unique landscape. Badger reaches his burrow in the nick of time, and the delta's denizens spread the tale's humorous yet important moral about the importance of expressing appreciation. The spry narrative incorporates sound effects that make this a natural read-aloud, and the high spot is surely Brett's meticulous renderings of African animals and vegetation, presented against a parchment-like backdrop and framed by striking borders featuring beads and feathers. Readers may well feel as if they, like the author, have visited breathtaking Botswana. Ages 4-8. (Aug.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
School Library Journal
K-Gr 2-This title is based on the legend of the honeyguide, an African bird that leads an animal to a honeycomb and then shares the spoils once the stronger creature has broken it open. In Brett's version, Honeyguide takes revenge upon a greedy honey badger that refuses to share the sweet treat. She leads him on a merry chase that ends up not at a honeycomb but at the lair of a lion. Badger's pursuit of the honeyguide and flight from the lion are reminiscent of "We're Going on a Bear Hunt," with each landmark and sound effect revisited on the return journey. Brett has created another lush winner with beautifully detailed illustrations of the animals and a clear, fast-paced story. Honeyguide's anger and subsequent punishment of Badger is witnessed by the other animals that form a bush telegraph, passing news along from individual to individual. This process is visualized on the edges of each page in typical Brett style-a story within a story. This lovely title works equally well for storyhours or for one-on-one sharing. Readers interested in other versions of the legend can check out Francesca Martin's The Honey Hunters (Candlewick, 1994).-Kara Schaff Dean, Needham Public Library, MA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
African animals and landscapes take center stage in this lively retelling of a traditional folktale from Botswana. Honeyguide (a small bird) leads Badger to a honeycomb, which he breaks open with his strong claws for both of them to share. One day, for unknown reasons, Badger does not share, and Honeyguide angrily plots revenge. Shield-shaped vignettes (decorated in feathers and beads) within Brett's signature borders show other animals (including elephants, hippos, warthogs and bishop birds) responding to this news as Honeyguide leads Badger ("pitter patter," "splish splash," etc.) to-surprise!-a lion hiding behind a lift-the-flap acacia bush. Lion chases Badger back to his burrow with sound effects repeating at an accelerated pace. The tale concludes with the animals passing the moral of the story to one another via "bush telegraph": "If Honeyguide leads you to a beehive, be sure and reward her, or next time, she will lead you to a lion." The cumulative patterns, sound effects and suspense, together with the dramatically depicted animals, will make this a popular choice for reading aloud. (Picture book. 4-7)
