Creator Corner: Author Kira Vermond and Illustrator June Steube

Welcome to Creator Corner, a blog series where we interview the creators of our recent and upcoming books. For this post, we interviewed The Buzz on Wild Bees: The Little-Known Pollinators that Keep Our Planet Humming author Kira Vermond and illustrator June Steube, whose book published October 14, 2025!

Owlkids Books: Kira, how did you begin writing children’s books?

Kira Vermond: I wrote my first non-fiction book in grade 2. It was about dinosaurs. I spent a whole weekend reading about those ancient, cool creatures, and then wrote and illustrated my own little book. When I took it to school on Monday morning, my teacher let me read it to the class. I was hooked–and now I get to do the same thing for a living! Sweet! (By the way, the Stegosaurus is my favorite dino).

Owlkids Books: June, how did you begin illustrating children’s books?

June Steube: As a kid, reading felt like a place of refuge and a gateway to new worlds. I loved curling up and getting lost in a good book. When I rediscovered children’s books as an adult, I was astounded by the captivating artwork and creative approaches.

I spent years studying picture books and creating a few of my own before Owlkids contacted me to illustrate my first book, Dig, Dance, Dive.  Ultimately, my aim is to illustrate books that a child can get lost in and I love the possibilities and challenges of creating illustrations that surprise and delight.

OKB: Kira, what inspired you to write this book?

KV: I was interviewing a bee expert at the University of Guelph a few years ago, and she told me that of the 20,000-plus species of bees on our planet, only seven types made honey and lived in hives. Only seven??!! I wondered why there are so many books about honeybees, but we ignore the other 90-95 percent of all bees on our planet. I was kind of mad on their behalf! They work so hard to pollinate plants that feed us. So, I wrote the book to help them get the respect they deserve.

OKB: June, what was the most enjoyable part of illustrating this book? What was the most challenging part?

JS: I had so much fun illustrating the Blue Banded bee on the cover and its furry rump on the back cover!

The hard part: character bees vying for attention! Some of the more detailed spreads required a lot of revisions to keep the primary focus on the wild bees without looking cluttered by the addition of those attention-grabbing character bees!

OKB: Kira, what was the most enjoyable part of bringing this story to life? What was the most challenging part of the process?

KV: I loved learning about all the weird wild bees out there. The smallest bee can fit on the tip of a marker, while the largest bee is as big as a walnut. The vulture bee feeds on rotting meat and makes a type of “honey” with it. Blegh. No thanks!

As for the most challenging part, with so many thousands of bees to choose from, it was hard to know which ones I should include in the book. They’re all pretty cool.

OKB: June, what was the inspiration for your illustrations in this book?

JS: The diversity and riot of color found in the bees and their flower habitats!

OKB: Kira and June, what do you hope readers will take away from this book?

KV: I really hope readers will walk away with a sense of wonder about the amazing variety of bees we live with. Go outside and look around you. They’re everywhere, buzzing between plants, digging holes in the ground and building nests in piles of backyard sticks. Hopefully everyone will finally notice these fuzzy little critters that have been our unsung pollinator heroes – until now.

JS: I hope The Buzz on Wild Bees motivates readers to delve deeper into the world of wild bees and that kids come away with a deeper awareness of how indispensable bees are and how we can all take part in helping them grow and flourish.

OKB: Kira and June, what’s an interesting fact people may not know about you?

KV: I’ve been stung by bees so…many…times. (I played outside a lot as a kid. Hey, it happens.) After writing this book though, I’m no longer afraid of them. If you leave bees alone, they’ll leave you alone.

Oh – and I have a pet rat named Patootie! She loves pizza and her little whiskers are super soft. Sometimes she sleeps on my shoulder as I write. Like right now.

JS: I’ve competed in a few coin design competitions for the Royal Canadian Mint. It felt like pure serendipity when, in the middle of illustrating The Buzz on Wild Bees, I was invited to design the 2025 Nature’s Delight Silver Honey Bee coin!

Thank you so much Kira and June for taking the time to do this interview and creating a wonderful book! We hope readers enjoy The Buzz on Wild Bees as much as we did!

Grab your copy today!