I love quiet, well-crafted books that sneak up on you slowly. That is exactly what happened with Beholding Bee by Kimberly Newton Fusco.
‘Bee’, short for Beatrice, is an orphan who lives with a traveling carnival, where endures taunts for the birthmark on her face. She is raised by Pauline, who tells her it is an angel’s kiss, teaches her to read & write and runs their hot dog cart. When Pauline is sent to work for another carnival, Bee is lost. Alone and afraid of Ellis, the carnival owner, Bee runs away with her scruffy dog and a runty pig. They find a house with gingerbread trim where two mysterious women, Mrs. Swift and Mrs. Potter, take her in. But Bee seems to be the only person able to see them .
Together, they create a family and Bee learns about friendship, her real family and finds the courage she has always had.
This beautiful story is full of loneliness, fear, hope and magic. Bee, and other characters, make some mistakes along the way, but, in the end, find their way home.
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