World Bee Day – May 20, 2020
Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera
Candace Fleming, Author
Eric Rohmann, Illustrator
Neal Porter Books/Holiday House , Nonfiction, Feb. 4, 2020
Suitable for Ages: 6-9
Themes: Honeybees, Life cycle, Bee colony, Collecting nectar
Opening: One summer morning deep in the nest, a brand-new honeybee squirms, pushes, chews through the wax cap of her solitary cell and into…a teeming, trembling flurry. Hummmmm!
Book Summary:
And so begins the story of Apis mellifera.
Follow the life cycle of this devoted and extraordinary worker as she cleans the hive, tends to larvae and the queen, builds wax comb, and guards the hive from invaders — before embarking on her first flight to seek nectar.
Why I like this book:
Candace Fleming’s nonfiction book about the secret life of bees is a story about the wonder of nature. I have always been fascinated with honey bees, but I have never understood them as much as I do now. I am in total awe!
Fleming’s text is lyrical and full of suspense. It is storytelling at its best. Children will have a close-up view of the birth of a honeybee, watch her grow and instinctively know what she has to do to fill her destiny as a worker in the hive. Her life-span is only 35 days.
Readers (including adults) will be captivated with Eric Rohmann’s breathtaking oil paintings that are larger than life. The illustrations are so detailed that children will see each fuzzy hair on the honeybee, her straw-like tongue (not visible to the human eye), and her antennae. The building of each comb in the hive is a marvel. There is a beautiful centerfold spread of the honeybee’s first flight.
Make sure you check out the fascinating information in the backmatter. It includes a two-page diagram of the different parts of a honeybee; factual information about bees and the colony; the various flight dances that bees do to communicate flower sources; how to help the diminishing bee populations; and National Geographic online video resources.
Resources: Many children are afraid of bees. I remember being afraid as a child. This book may help them with their fears if they can study and talk about bees in their classroom or at home. Set aside an area in your backyard or school where you can plant a wildflower garden with the flowers and thistle that may attrack bees. Then watch and count the different kinds of bees that visit specific flowers.
Candace Fleming is the author of more than twenty distinguished books for children including The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion and the Fall of Imperial Russia, winner of, among other awards, the Boston Globe — Horn Book Award for Nonfiction, the NCTE Orbis Pictus Award, and a Sibert Honor.
Every Friday, authors and KidLit bloggers post a favorite picture book. To see a complete listing of all the Perfect Picture Books (PPB) with resources, please visit author Susanna Leonard Hill’s website.
*Reviewed from a library copy.
I got to hear about the making of this book with the creators last year. What a total treat!
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Lucky you! It is such a gorgeous and compelling picture book for children and adults!
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A very educational book!
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Yes, and told like a story. Kids will be mesmorized. The illustrations are breathtaking!
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I have this book checked out from the library right now and I LOVE it. Fascinating and gorgeously illustrated.
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It is gorgeous! I’ve bought copies for upcoming birthdays, including my sister-in-law, who raises bees on their organic farm. It’s nonfiction, but is told like a story.
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I love this book! Glad you got copies for your family. I hope a lot of people fall in love with it.
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Such a fantastic topic for non-fiction. Bees aren’t too popular with kids and this will surely help them understand and appreciate this often misunderstood creature. The illustrations sound amazing. Thanks for introducing me to a book I hadn’t come across before..
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I was afraid of bees — been stung too many times as a kid — but I was utterly fascinated by this book. The illustrations are beyond stunning because they are large and give kids a peek into their secret lives. The storytelling is suspenseful as you wait for the bee to take flight.
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I LOVE LOVE LOVE this book! My throat catches every time I get to the page that describes the distance she has flown and the amount of honey she has created before she dies. I no longer allow any to go to waste. And that magnificent gatefold makes my heart soar as she takes her first flight.
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I know how you felt when you read the book — especially when she finally takes her first flight and her last. I have a lot of grand kids and nieces and nephews birthdays coming up in May, June, July and August — and this book is at the top of my list.
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Sweet. I love honey bees too. And I love books that inspire curiousity and help satisfy children’s thirst for knowledge.
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Gorgeous book!
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I love this book! I have it on my stack from the library & lent it to a neighbor for a read-aloud to her class. Great choice for a May read!
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Thank you! I just love it too. Have ordered copies for grandchildren summer birthdays.
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