Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera (2020)
Written by: Candace Fleming
Illustrated by: Eric Rohmann
Publisher: Neal Porter Books
Book type: Picture book
Grade level: K-4
Lexile level: 750
Summary
Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera follows the lifespan of one female honeybee. Readers see "Apis" hatch from her wax cell in the beginning to join other worker bees in the colony. The narrative creates an anticipation of when Apis will fly for the first time. After Apis eats "sticky, rich pollen," darkens in color to a "warm yellow orange," and grains strength, the narrator asks, "Strong enough for flying?" "Not yet..." Apis must clean the hive's nursery to prepare each wax cell for a new bee egg. At three days old, Apis's special glands behind her face begin to enlarge, filling with a milky-sweet liquid to feed to the larvae in the nursery. At eight days old, Apis must tend to the queen by grooming her, feeding her, and spreading her scent to the rest of the hive. At twelve days old, Apis uses a white wax formed from glands in her abdomen to build honeycomb. Apis then protects the nest by guarding the entrance and fighting off a bee from another colony. Finally, at twenty-five days old, Apis flies for the first time. She joins thousands of other bees to collect nectar. She visits many flowers to fill her honey stomach, which will weigh almost as much as she does. She travels back to the nest and communicates (by dancing!) to the other bees where they can find more nectar. As Apis ages, she becomes thinner and slower. She loses her hair, and her wings grow frail. After visiting thirty thousand flowers, she is thirty-five days old. Apis has collected enough nectar to make one-twelfth of a teaspoon of honey. She has completed her purpose, and it is time for a permanent rest. Back at the hive, a new honeybee is born.
Commentary
This book is a wonderful introduction to, and appreciation of, honeybees. Readers learn about the honeybee's life cycle, hive, colony hierarchy, diet, breeding habits, and behaviors. The large and detailed illustrations allow for a bee's-eye view as readers are able to follow Apis's movements throughout the bee hive and into the outside world. The illustrations also correspond well to what is being described in the text
Special Features
After the story, the book features a two-page spread graphic featuring the anatomy of the bee including each major part and a brief explanation of its purpose. (Did you know that honeybees have five eyes?!) Information in the back also informs readers of the importance of bee pollination to sustaining the American diet. There is an additional list of interesting facts such as, "A honeybee's sense of smell is so acute that scientists have been able to train them to sniff out bombs, dead bodies, and other distinct odors." Readers can explore a list of additional book titles and websites for even more information.
Read Alikes
In this picture book, readers meet "Buzzwing," an adorable, chubby, friendly honeybee with a bowtie who is eager to teach people all about the lives of honeybees. This book features facts and natural history as well as folklore such as "The Baby and the Bees: A bee tale from Greece" which adds a bit of fantasy and magic to this nonfiction title.
With a title referring to the bees' "waggle dance," this book focuses on the communications and behaviors of bees. Readers follow one bee to a prairie full of flowers and then watch as she returns to the hive to communicate the distance and location of the pollen to the other worker bees using the waggle dance. More detail about this behavior can be found in the back of the book.
In varying shades of yellow and orange, this rhyming picture books tells the story of the honeybee with light, levity, and cheerful-looking bees with large eyes and friendly smiles. The author's end note provides additional information about the importance of bees, how they are threatened, and what people can do to help.
Awards Winner!
ALA Notable Children's Books - Younger Readers Category (2021)
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal (2021)
School Library Journal Best Nonfiction Books (2020)
Ohhh this is so good to educate readers on the importance of bees as well. It would definitely help with the empathy towards the insects. I'm constantly trying to get my students to not chase and harm the bees. This and the readalikes you mentioned would be extremely helpful during a bee unit or lesson!
ReplyDeleteAs always, your summaries are incredibly thorough. I feel like I've read the book after just reading the summary! You provide a clear picture of what the book's contents are!
Hi Ashley,
DeleteYou're right; bees are so important, and many people don't understand the role they play in our food supply. I try to give detailed summaries because I know with how busy life can get, we librarians don't have time to read all of the books we would like to. At least after reading a detailed summary, we can recommend a book to a reader inquiring about the subject. : )
I've been wanting to read this book! I think bees are so important and I'm trying to get my library to start a "Bee Garden" that attracts bees and butterflies. I love your other selections. Bee Dance is so good! I think if we encourage and educate kids on how to respect the bee and how important they are we can turn things around. These books definitely help with that.
ReplyDeleteHi Colette,
DeleteAgreed! I think books like these are definitely a great start in educating young readers about the importance of bees. The children's department at my library maintains a small flower garden in the back of our building, and we see a variety of bees, butterflies, and other insects visit the area. We'll even spot small mammals from time to time!