cover image The Zombees

The Zombees

Justin Colón, illus. by Kaly Quarles. Simon & Schuster, $19.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-6659-2250-0

The much-feared titular ghouls of this picture book are green, decaying flying insects that rise from the graveyard. “Moaning, groaning, they invade./ Behold! the Undead Bee Parade,” the swarm sends shivers down the spine of a trick-or-treating human. But when “troops arrive in veils and boots,” the Zombees swear they’re just misunderstood. Bored on Halloween, they’ve abandoned their cemetery sanctuary to personally deliver “ooky spooky honey” that materializes just once a year. In rhyming lines, Colón unveils the pollinators’ own disguise, revealing that even on the calendar’s creepiest night, they’re still—in every sense—as busy as bees. Quarles captures a town made giddy by the Halloween spirit, and buzzy characters that clearly convey the smarts and savvy of the hive mind. Human characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 4–8. (July)