A Is for Bee

BEST OF THE YEAR
The New York Times · Booklist Top of the List · World Kid Lit


What letter does the word bee start with?

If you said “B” you’re right – in English!

But in many, many languages, it actually starts with A.

Bee is Aṅụ̄ in Igbo,
Aamoo in Ojibwe,
Abelha in Portugese.

And Arı in Turkish.


Come and explore the gorgeous variations in the ways we talk about familiar things, unified and illuminated through Ellen Heck’s eye-catching, graphic scratchboard details and hidden letterforms.

P R A I S E


★ “A gorgeous collection for linguists of all ages."
—Booklist (starred)


“The ultimate demonstration of inclusion, and the beauty of world languages. This lavishly illustrated multilingual alphabet book isn’t about inclusion, it is inclusion.”
—The New York Times


"Kaleidoscopic and delightful. Any lover of language, or any child who likes new sounds, will be entranced."
—Kory Stamper, NYT


“Beautiful. A book that presents an understanding far beyond the usual. Marvelous”
—Betsy Bird, SLJ Fuse 8