During EYFS literacy lessons, students have been engaged with the story “The Bumblebear” by Nadia Shireen to help young children understand the importance of celebrating differences.

The story follows Norman, a bear who adores honey. In a clever twist, he decides to disguise himself as a bee to gain constant access to honey. He claims to be a special bee from a far-off land, which explains why he looks different. Throughout the tale, the bees learn how to fend off predators like bears. However, when one bee discovers Norman's true identity, he is banished. Norman proves his worth by saving the day from a big bear, becoming a hero!

The children expressed why they enjoyed the story, and their responses showcased their learning progress:

• Describes the main story settings, events and principal characters in increasing detail.
• Begins to link sounds to some frequently used digraphs.
• Uses their developing phonic knowledge to write things such as labels and captions, later progressing to simple sentences.
• Enjoys an increasing range of print and digital books, both fiction and non-fiction.