Celebrate World Bee Day with Cynthia Mackey!

Hi, readers, writers, and bee lovers, too! Today is World Bee Day - a day where we celebrate our small yet mighty pollinating friends. And what better way to celebrate the day than by celebrating with author Cynthia Mackey on her new book's Book Birthday? If A Bumblebee Lands on your Toe delves into how we can embrace our fears and uncertainties through a deep understanding of the creatures around us. It highlights the delicate yet profound bond we share with even the smallest beings, like a bumblebee. Want to know more about Cynthia and her new book, PLUS want to earn a FREE digital teacher's guide? Read on...

Q: Hi, Cynthia! We’re so excited to feature you today on World Bee Day - a day that ties into your book perfectly!

A: Thank you so much for interviewing me. I’m excited to share all about IF A BUMBLEBEE LANDS ON YOUR TOE in celebration of World Bee Day (May 20th) and what’s even more special… today is the book’s birthday!

Can you share a little about yourself with our readers? What interested you most about being a children’s author and pursuing children’s writing? And what was your journey getting this book published like? 

A: There wasn’t one single thing that led me to becoming a children’s author, but many life experiences that led me to this point. One moment I will never forget is when my son, a toddler, discovered a box of picture books I had stashed away in the closet. I had collected these for my teaching career. I thought maybe he was ready to read one of the books in my collection. He was so excited about the box of books, he wanted me to read one after another after another. He didn’t want to stop reading. It showed me how important picture books can be in the life of a child and made me want to be part of creating them.

Many years later, after working seriously on writing and revising picture books with different points of view, different formats, and different voices, both fiction and non-fiction, I sent If a Bumblebee Lands on Your Toe to Yeehoo Press. It was one of about 60 submissions I did for this book. I heard nothing, but sent a nudge about 8 months later and that’s when Luyang Xue, the editor, told me they had been considering the manuscript. 

Q: Your book is a unique concept for kids - through engaging narrative and stunning visuals, the book teaches children to appreciate the natural world and find peace in moments of fear, like when a bumblebee gets too close. 

What inspired you to write about this topic for kids? 

A: There are a lot of layers of inspiration that went into this book. One of those layers of inspiration came from a five year old who was not only aware of the declining bumblebee population, but also of the impact it could have on our lives, especially in terms of the foods we eat (melons, tomatoes, berries, etc.) that might no longer be available to us. I was so impressed that a child so young had this awareness and wanted to protect bumblebees. Her passion for protecting bees stayed with me and sparked me to think about what kind of picture book I might write that incorporated her love for them.

Q:  There are so many different ways to approach picture book writing. For your book, you chose a lyrical narrative approach. What made you decide to write the book in this style? Was it a collaboration with the publisher or did you submit it this way/did they fall in love with your submission? What tips do you have for others taking unique approaches to storytelling?

A: I have always loved lyrical writing, in particular, authors like Julie Fogliano, but I actually chose a more traditional character driven story for my first attempts at the book. When I entered it in CANSCAIP’s Writing for Children Competition, I got some feedback, let the book sit in a drawer for a while, and came back to it later to rewrite with a lyrical voice. It was the lyrical, 2nd person version I submitted to Yeehoo Press and that’s the one they fell in love with. With the bee serving as a metaphor for our fears, it gave the story a universal appeal. I think it is important to step outside your story and allow yourself room to experiment with telling it in different ways. Being playful with words and language is what helps me discover the best way to tell a story. That, and giving some time and space between revisions.

Q:  What was it like working with such an amazing illustrator? The art is gorgeous!

A: Vikki Zhang, the illustrator had no art notes for the book (I didn’t include any) and created an entirely fresh layer of storytelling, adding a new dimension of theatre and performance to the book, elevating my text references to dance at the beginning and ending of the story. Though we didn’t communicate during the process of making the book, Vikki shared her illustration work, inspired by the Paris Opera House, on Instagram. Just before her Instagram post, I had been planning ahead for school visits, envisioning a reader’s theatre performance of the book and ordered several animal props to enhance the telling of the story. When I saw her illustrations, it felt like our hearts and minds met across the ocean and we were destined to collaborate on this book. 

Q: Do you have any upcoming books we can keep our eyes peeled for? 

A: My next book, BUTTERFLY SEA is like a companion to IF A BUMBLEBEE LANDS ON YOUR TOE. BUTTERFLY SEA is a lyrically written sibling story with two young children at cross purposes: one who seeks to photograph butterflies and another who loves to dress up and pretend. It is narrative non-fiction with facts on butterflies and butterfly gardening and is scheduled to be released with Tielmour Press at the end of this year and illustrations will be by Marie-Laure Couët. Tielmour Press donates a portion of each book sale to reforestation.

Wow! A HUGE congrats on a successful year!

BONUS QUESTION: What’s your favorite fun fact about bees?

A: Here’s a couple of fun facts for you:

1. Bumblebees store small amounts of honey in their colony, but not enough to harvest, like honeybees. 

2. They live in small colonies and are not solitary, like some other bees.

   
   
   
   

LOVE those. Thanks for sharing!

Q: Would you like to leave a Tip or a Treat for our readers?

A Treat! Attention readers, Cynthia is offering a digital teacher’s guide for IF A BUMBLEBEE LANDS ON YOUR TOE. To receive the digital teacher’s guide, email Cynthia with a proof of purchase of the book. Use the contact form on her website here: Contact — Cynthia Mackey | Children's Author

Very cool! Thanks so much for joining us, Cynthia & thanks for the sweet treat. It was wonderful getting to connect with you and hear all about your new book on its book birthday! Readers, please leave a comment below to thank Cynthia for stopping by. Birthday and bumblebee-themed GIFs are appreciated, too!

About Cynthia Mackey:

Cynthia Mackey’s poetry appears in The Toy, The Dirigible Balloon, and Little Thoughts Press. Her debut picture book, If a Bumblebee Lands on Your Toe, will be published by Yeehoo Press in May, 2025 and her second book, Butterfly Sea is forthcoming with Tielmour Press in December 2025. Cynthia lives with her husband in Victoria, Canada. For more info, see www.booksbycindy.com  

For more about Cynthia, check out the below links:

Cynthia' website: https://www.booksbycindy.com/       

Cynthia’s social media: Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/mackey_cynthia/ (nature focus) https://www.instagram.com/books.by.cindy/ (book focus) 

Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/booksbycindy.bsky.social 

To Pre-Order a copy of her book, check out the links below:

Yeehoo Press https://www.yeehoopress.com/product/if-a-bumble-bee-lands-on-your-toe/

Barnes and Noble (US) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/if-a-bumblebee-lands-on-your-toe-cynthia-mackey/1144569238

Munro’s Books (Victoria, B.C.) https://munrobooks.com/item/QZ_xa5QNxDZuwlpMJopPoA

Indigo Books (Canada) https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/if-a-bumblebee-lands-on-your-toe/9781953458742.html

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