A young girl is plagued by a persistent buzzing sound that only she can hear. She compares the constant drone in her ears to the hum of a bumblebee. The child’s frustrations come through loud and clear in spare first-person narration: “I couldn’t think clearly … and I felt very alone.” Effectively illustrating the intrusive impact this relentless disturbance has on her daily life, a gigantic scowling, smirking bee flits and flies around her head, always pestering her, during the day as she struggles to complete assignments at school, and even in the middle of the night when she’s trying to sleep. The distracted kid tries swatting away the nuisance maker, to no avail. A doctor provides a diagnosis of tinnitus, but offers no cure. Her situation seems hopeless, until a serendipitous discovery of a music box helps the creative girl find a way to cope that provides sound relief as well as joy.
Iranian-Canadian Shiva Delsooz’s whimsical, boldly outlined digital artwork sings with emotional resonance in high fidelity. A purple scribbly storm cloud hangs over the child’s head like a ball of confusion and stress; isolated and feeling helpless, she covers her ears and stands apart from her peers. When music plays, a symphonic rainbow of notes and melodious waves harmoniously move across the page, mercifully obstructing the chaotic divebomb flight of the bumblebee.
Music has the seemingly magical ability to quiet and tame the buzzing bother. While the girl wears yellow headphones and is happily uplifted by a medley of songs, the ever-present bee plays piano accompaniment at a manageable distance. Images of opera singers, trumpet players, and myriad band members can be seen in the background making “everything feel better.” With candor, the narrator acknowledges the struggle with tinnitus doesn’t end and some days are harder than others, but she has found her curative songbook: “I listen to my music … and keep going.”
Delsooz’s debut author-illustrated picture book is deeply personal, based upon her experiences growing up with hearing loss and living with tinnitus. It Began with a Buzz strikes a relatable tone and is a pitch-perfect portrayal of resilience.
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