The story is about a songbird named, Rufus. Rufus does not know how to fly or sing yet. He has not quite found his song. One day he hears some bees singing and he really wants to sing with them but is too shy. He meets a friendly bee named Bea. Bea helps Rufus find his voice and also helps him learn to fly.

Perfect read with a little one.

Thank you NetGalley and Flashpoint for sending me an ARC in exchange of an honest review of the book received.

An adorable story about a bird and a bee and how the bee teaches the bird. The pictures add to the story. Fun read for children

Poor Rufus can neither fly nor sing at the start of this charming picture book. What an embarrassment for an alleged songbird! But thanks to kindly Bea the bee, Rufus will gain the confidence to be a proper songbird.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Flashpoint in exchange for an honest review.

What an adorable story of a bird and a bee and their journey to discovering their voices! I adored this story and the beautiful illustrations that pulled me in. This will be definitely be one that i purchase to use in my future classroom.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc!

ARC reader for NetGalley

Rufus cannot fly and he cannot sing until he meets a new friend that helps him be all he can be. A story of unlikely friendships and a bit of you can do anything if you put your mind to when you are willing to learn. My little thought this was the cutest of stories.

I read this book with my toddler & we both enjoyed it. The depictions & the storyline kept my toddler intrigued until the last page. He enjoyed it so much we’ve read it twice already.


It’s so sweet reading about Rufus & Bea. Rufus was about to find his voice & confidence through his new found friendship with Bea. The giggles from my toddler, while reading and seeing the expressions on the faces of Bea & Rufus - as he mimicked those faces and Rufus’s singing.

We thoroughly enjoyed this book.

We volunteered for an ARC of this book through NetGalley

The story of a songbird who can neither fly nor sing who makes friend with a bee. The bee says she’ll help him do both and of course she does.
The illustrations are done well. The story has a nice moral to it as well.
The text switches back and forth from rhyming to prose. It took away from the story for me a bit. My mind tends to have issues with that sort of shift.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Rufus & Bea (Hardcover)
by Ryan Cummins


A story of not over thinking and just being yourself. The power of song, friendship and self belief. The pictures are sweet and intriguing.

A cute little book about believing in yourself and helping others. With cute illustrations. Would absolutely recommend.

What a sweet book about friendship and helping. I think its a bit too long for story time but I will suggest this to parents.

Young Rufus cannot sing or fly.....YET! He meets Bea the Bee who helps him learn how to do the things he wants to do but cant yet figure out.

Sometimes you need to take things slowly and one step at a time to learn and Bea the Bee helps Rufus the Bird learn that.

A beautifully illustrated book about a songbird who... can't sing or fly! But, he gets help from an unlikely friend, Bea the bee! A charming story and one that will be a hit in any preschool storytime (I bet the kids will even sing along!)

I enjoyed this story about learning with a friend. The bird, Rufus, is expected to sing and fly well, but does not. Bea is excited because Rufus has the opportunity to learn these new skills and she can help. They are adorable characters! I love the narration style, rhythm of the words, and illustrations.

Thank you NetGalley and Girl Friday Books for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

It seems every picture book or early reader has a pair of animal friends, and this book is no exception. The artwork for Rufus and Bea is cute, lending itself to a fun storytime, but the flow of the text is a bit of a problem. It begins with well, injecting a bit of humor which I know kids will enjoy, but then it waffles between a rhyming text, songs, and plain prose. "You don't have to impress. Just express," seems to be the main focus of this buddy book, but it comes off as pedantic. I love the bird's cute hat, though.