Cloverdalian’s debut book was released in December
In “The Bee of the Sea,” a bee has to find courage to save his hive from an oncoming storm. While the young bee’s story of courage and teamwork is motivating in and of itself, Cloverdalian and writer Megan Guerrero was inspired to pen her newly-released picture book in part because of her grandfather — a real life ’bee.
Guerrero’s grandfather was a Navy Seabee during the Korean War, part of the construction battalion of the United States Navy. The Seabees, nicknamed after the “C” and “B” in “construction battalion,” use a bee as a mascot.
“I’ve always enjoyed writing and growing up, my grandpa used to say, ‘You should do something with your passion for writing.’ He passed away in December of 2019, so I made it a goal for myself to finally write a book that I’ve been wanting to do and dedicate it to him,” Guerrero said about her inspiration for “The Bee of the Sea.”
“His time in the Seabees as well as their mascot inspired both my main character and the story line,” she said.
Guerrero published the 40-page picture book in the end of December 2020.
“It’s a short rhyming story for kids. It’s got beautiful full-page illustrations,” she said. “It’s a story about a young bee that discovers his courage ahead of an oncoming storm that’s threatening his beehive, and he comes up with a plan to lead his colony to safety.”
A mom of two — Guerrero has a two-year-old and a four-year-old — she said that, since the book’s release, she’s heard from parents who appreciate the positive message that the book sends; she’s heard positive feedback relating to the book’s message of teamwork and the deeper lesson that book promotes, “it’s not just a silly children’s book.”
Diversity in theme, character type and subject are some of the things that draw Guerrero to writing books for children.
“My 4-year-old, he calls it ‘Mom’s bee book’ and he likes to read it with me,” she said.
The path two self-publishing isn’t easy, though, with different things to keep track of — writers who self-publish have to obtain copyright to their work, either hire someone or figure out how to format their writing and, in the case of children’s and picture books, work with people on illustrations.
“Beforehand I didn’t know anybody that I worked with,” Guerrero said.
To help bridge the knowledge gap and work her way toward self-publishing “The Bee of the Sea,” Guerrero leaned into social media by joining groups created for children’s authors and illustrators, where she was able to get feedback on her book and make connections with other people in the field.
“I did everything myself, from writing the book to getting my copyright, filling out a business license for the city of Cloverdale,” she said.
The book’s illustrator, Eduardo Paj, lives in Mexico. “We connected over Facebook,” Guerrero said. “He has always been inspired by Disney and I’m a huge Disney fan myself, so it just made sense — we clicked and it went really well.”
Looking forward, Guerrero said that she’s teetering between three ideas for her next book — she hasn’t decided which one she wants to prioritize, but knows she wants to eventually publish all of them. As for what the ideas are about, Guerrero preferred to keep it hush-hush since she’s still in the brainstorming phase of book development.
Those looking to buy “The Bee of the Sea” can find it at Dahlia & Sage Community Market and at Estate Retail Therapy. It’s also available in Windsor at Pack Ship & More, and online at Amazon.
