A heartwarming introduction to reading about how even solitary beings need people too.

Anyone can make it on their own — just ask Colette! She's a solitary bee who enjoys her own company more than anyone else's and thrives on her independence. Colette can do just about anything by herself: day-to-day tasks, cleverly navigating the elements, and even setting out on solo adventures.

But sometimes, even the most solitary bees need other insects around — like when things don't go as planned, or when they simply have a good story to tell.

Colette: The Solitary Bee is an adorable, heartwarming tale that shows us we can be proud to do things by ourselves, but it's also pretty great to share our lived experiences with those around us. (From Milky Way Picture Books)

Jean-François Sénéchal is a writer from Saint-Lambert, Que. His book Les avenues was the French language winner of the 2021 Governor General's Literary Award for Young people's literature — text and in 2017 Sénéchal won the Joseph S. Stauffer Prize for literature.

Pascale Bonenfant is an illustrator and a professor of graphic design who has illustrated numerous books, including Oops by Julie Massy and Le parapluie jaune, by Lili Chartrand. She lives in Québec City.