With beautiful illustrations and a good, powerful message, this is a great book for any child's library. Treat yourself and listen to the songs on the author's website.

A fairly straightforward story about facing fears. I do like that the messaging actually validates Rufus's feelings. Instead of telling kids "it's not so scary when you face it" this book suggests breaking an overwhelming task into smaller components that you can master. A sweet and gentle object lesson.

What a cute book! When a baby bird is unable to fly, a bee helps him to stay positive, and a cute friendship is formed. Books like these are wonderful for all ages and I am sure children will adore this one as I have!
Thank you to the author and publisher for this arc.

Thank you to the author, Flashpoint and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My apologies for the delay in posting this review, I read this a while ago, but am well behind with my reviews and trying to catch up!

This lovingly illustrated children's book has as its theme friendship, perseverance and kindness. Rufus is a songbird who can’t (yet) fly and doesn’t know how to sing. Bea is a bee who helps him overcome his fears - and as the two learn to trust one another and their friendship, they find themselves singing a song together, and by the end of the song, Rufus realizes he’s flying too.

The kids I read this with loved following along, trying out the sounds, and seeing the friendship between Rufus and Bea blossom. Highly recommend!

Rufus the Nightingale hasn't found his song. Not yet, anyway, but he's trying. He can't fly yet, either, and that's proving to be...well, a bit embarrassing for this songbird. Bea the Bee doesn't see it that way, though. Where Rufus sees failure Bea sees opportunity. Where he feels embarrassed she's excited for his future adventures, and she's ready to help.. You really couldn't ask for a better friend. (Honestly, we all need a friend like Bea.)

Lisa Tucker Cummins and Ryan Cummins have created a sweet, delightful tale about new friends, new adventures, and how our views on social interpretation can often hinder instead of help us. Hannah Pascoe outdid herself with these beautiful illustrations. I was absolutely smitten with her skill, and I will be looking for her work in the future. (The book hints at possible sequels, and I would just love that! This is a fantastic team!)

Rufus and Bea is pure joy. Good things take time and work, but they can still be fun. Sometimes we have to think outside the box. Life doesn't always look the way we planned it, and that's okay. Especially if we have friends willing to stand by us along the way.

An adorably illustrated story perfect for the little one in your life. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found the songs to be lovely. 4.5/5

Rufus & Bea is an adorable illustrated story for young readers about friendship and cooperation by Ryan & Lisa Cummins. Due out 25th June 2024 from Flashpoint, it's 48 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

Rufus is a songbird who can't sing -or- fly, and he's pretty upset about that. Bea is a honeybee, and a friendly, upbeat "person" and she wants to help Rufus gain enough confidence to make progress himself. It's got a lot of good lessons about uncritical support, positivity, kindness, and caring, and they're presented in a gentle way that isn't preachy or strident.

The illustrations by Hannah Pascoe are beautifully rendered in detailed watercolors which are full of small details inviting readers to take a closer look at the little insects, flowers, trees, and other details.

The text is simple and accessible, written about half and half in free verse and rhyming text. There are even some songs that Bea and Rufus sing, and the music is available on the authors' website, Tiny Prime.

Five stars. This would make a great choice for public or school library acquisition, home use, gift giving, or classroom use.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Hmmm… A book that has all the charm you could wish for, but that comes with probably just a bit too much earnestness to really make it classy. Here is a songbird that is awful at singing, and has never tried to fly. But when a bee comes along, and tells the bird just to relax into it – wow, look what happens. Yes, interspecies advice has never looked prettier (although I was not a hundred per cent on the scale of some of the two-shots), but even that seems a little off – the universal advice idea not quite ringing true. The way this wants to highlight the more simple pleasures is able to tip this into three and a half stars, but that is being generous.

This adorable picture book is about Rufus, a songbird who can't fly or sing and Bea, the bee, who offers to help. The art work is gorgeous and the message is very sweet-sometimes we need a little help! Super cute story.

One of the prettiest picture books I’ve seen in a while! The artwork really impressed me.

The story was so sweet. Rufus is a songbird who can’t fly yet, and doesn’t know how to sing. He listens to the bees one day and ends up meeting a bee named Bea. Rufus and Bea form a friendship.

She helps him overcome his overthinking and his fear. He just tries to express himself and the two sing a cute song together. By the end of the song, Rufus realizes he’s flying too!

I think kids will love this story. I look forward to reading more stories about Rufus and Bea!

The sweet illustrations really make this story sing, with a bird who cannot fly or sing and a bee who helps him do both. A lovely story about the importance of friendship. Highly recommended.

I loved reading this book. My daughter loved the pictures and the story. There were so many sounds to make and it was a fun read out loud. Kids will love this book!

A cute little songbird that can't sing or fly, how sad! Then the songbird meets Bea, the bee. Bea is excited he can't do these things and that she gets to teach him. While he's nervous, Bea keeps encouraging him until they are singing and flying. A great reminder for kids to just try and you'll achieve your dreams. A great book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

The colourful illustrations had me captivated on the first page, knowing this was going to be a sweet tale.

The friendship, perseverance and kindness of Bea and Rufus makes so such a sweet story. I also found Bea’s excitement to help a very special quality of this book.

A special story that lifts us up (both literary and literally!)

Rufus & Bea is a sweet story about friendship and how friends can help you overcome your struggles. I really enjoyed the story and the illustrations. The musical portions added a nice element if you want to sing those lines.

I received an ARC from Flashpoint via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a sweet story about finding your voice but what I really loved was the pictures. It was such a gentle style, reminding me of watercolors.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Rufus & Bea is a sweet children's book about friendship, self-belief, and faith in yourself.
Rufus is a songbird but finds he can't sing a tune nor fly yet. Bea is a bee who becomes friends with Rufus and helps him discover his voice and fly. These two were so adorable together in the illustrations, which were nostalgic and entertaining for both children and adults.
This would make a lovely series for children, so I'm hoping we will see more of this adorable duo.

Charming story perfect for springtime. I absolutely loved the illustrations, as did my children. My daughter is terrified of bees but this story prompted her to think differently of them. We had a blast singing the songs together at the end. Highly recommend for story time for the littles :)

A very cute childrens book

I love it when children’s books successfully interweave some life lessons into the tale without it being boring or preachy and this was perfectly done here. This was all about not overthinking things sometimes and just giving it a go! I loved the friendship between Rufus and Bea - Bea’s name is also adorable!

This isn’t a 5 star for me though as I had a couple of little gripes:

The songs were a bit hit or miss - as was the prose itself. Sometimes things were all rhyming (which I really liked) and the next minute it was standard prose. While I’m sure there was some rationale around this I think it would have been just much stronger if it had all rhymed or if only the songs rhymed - the mix and match really bungled up the flow of the story. I also think some of the sentences were overly long. Cutting a few of them in half could have made much more digestible reading for little ones.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-ARC

A powerful book that teaches the meaning of YET! Rufus and Bea develop a strong friendship. Bea encourages her friend to do things that are challenging- fly and sing! I can't wait to share with our music teacher! I can see her using this in her lessons as well! Beautiful pictures! I can pictures families curling up together with this story and talking about powerful lessons.