Telford author reveals his latest children's book featuring environmental message
A Telford author has released his latest children's book featuring a 'subtle yet powerful' environmental message.
The Bee Bea Sea is Roy Bradshaw's eighth children's book and is the second book in his series of Mr. B's Busy-Bea books.
His latest book was launched from inside Southwater Library in Telford on Tuesday.
The former engineer with teaching experience in secondary and primary schools was inspired to pen the story by the 'quantity of plastic micro-particles in our seas, rising at an alarming rate'.
Author Roy said: "Add this to the fact that fish are eating the plastic micro-particles, thinking them as food, then this leaves a worrying prospect for the future health of our seas."
The Bee Bea Sea can be purchased on Amazon as well as book stores including Waterstones, Gardners, and Peters and Askews.
The book is available alongside Roy's other releases that include Konk the White Crocodile, Marti-Rye the Mole, Mr B's Busy-Bea (The Ritzzz Hotel), and Roy's four Barley's Biscuit stories.
The author explained his reasons for including an educational message in his book, and the book's plot.
"I always want my writing to contain a strain of reality and education whilst entertaining at the same time," said Roy.
"My super-hero (Busy-Bea) in the bee world is willing to take on any task regardless of its enormity.
"An explosion of bee parasites form a formidable and deadly enemy for most bee colonies around the world - they have designed a method of mass destruction and joined forces with plastic micro-particles in the seas to rid the world of bees and take their place.
"Mr B, back in his year three classroom, ponders this threat and morphs it with his teaching theme for the term - 'The Environment'. A plan to tackle both problems together drifts into his mind and he knows just the three students who can help!"
The book published by Media and You has been illustrated by Lisa Williams, and is intended to appeal to younger readers aged between seven and nine-years-old.
The author doesn't plan to stop writing any time soon either, with plans to produce several more books.
Roy added: "There are many other stories in the Barley's Biscuit series that I want to publish and several more Busy-Bea's in my bonnet - four manuscripts are already written.
"Each of the releases are very different types of adventure stories. Barley's Biscuit are problem solving type books, Mr. B's Busy-Bea focuses on the battle between the good and bad guys and Marti-Rye is just a cheeky chappy with an obsession for collecting shiny things.
"Konk is an activities and story book out of which some pages can be freely copied for colouring-in, 2D and 3D model making."
Mr. B's Busy-Bea (The Bee Bea Sea) is available to purchase via the author's website: roybradshaw.co.uk.