{"id":37169,"date":"2021-01-17T01:11:45","date_gmt":"2021-01-17T05:11:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=37169"},"modified":"2021-01-17T01:11:45","modified_gmt":"2021-01-17T05:11:45","slug":"review-of-honeybee-by-candace-fleming-and-eric-rohmann","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=37169","title":{"rendered":"Review of Honeybee, by Candace Fleming and Eric Rohmann"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Honeybee<\/p>\n

The Busy Life of <\/em>Apis Mellifera<\/p>\n

by Candace Fleming and Eric Rohmann<\/p>\n

Neal Porter Books (Holiday House), 2020. 36 pages.
\nStarred Review
\nReview written February 8, 2020, from a library book
\n2020 Sonderbooks Stand-out<\/a>:
\n#1 Children’s Nonfiction Picture Books<\/p>\n

As soon as I read this book, I knew which book I hope wins the 2021 Caldecott Medal.<\/p>\n

When I was a child, I had a book from Disney publications that included a chapter on bees with lots of close-up photos. I hated that part of the book and didn\u2019t even want to turn the pages for fear I\u2019d touch the pictures of the bees.<\/p>\n

I must have outgrown my squeamishness, because this book is full of oversize close-up paintings of bees, and I think the book is beautiful. Perhaps it\u2019s the fact that they\u2019re paintings instead of photos \u2013 Eric Rohmann has made the bee featured here look positively plush and cuddly, while still being completely scientifically accurate.<\/p>\n

I learned so much I didn\u2019t know about bees when reading this book. I knew that worker bees have jobs in the hive. But I didn\u2019t know that the same bee gets different jobs as it ages. This book highlights the different jobs a bee goes through. After the bee has emerged from a cell in the honeycomb, here are a couple of early pages:<\/p>\n

Crawling to a cell packed with sticky, rich pollen,
\nApis eats.
\nAnd eats.
\nAnd eats some more.
\nHer wings dry. Her color darkens to a warm yellow orange. Her muscles grow strong.<\/p>\n

Strong enough for flying?<\/p>\n

Not yet . . . cleaning comes first.
\nApis\u2019s first job is to tidy the hive\u2019s nursery.
\nShe hauls away leftover bits,
\ncarts off old wax caps,
\nleaves each cell ready for a new bee egg.
\nWhen she turns three days old, special glands behind her face swell and expand.
\nSoon she is ready for her next job.<\/p>\n

Flying?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

No, Apis doesn\u2019t fly yet. First, we see her do the jobs of nursing, queen tending, comb building, food handling, and guarding.<\/p>\n

When she finally flies, on the twenty-fifth day of her life, Apis gets a beautiful fold-out section in the middle of the book featuring a wide-open sky.<\/p>\n

We do of course learn how she gathers nectar and carries pollen and dances to tell other bees about her finds.<\/p>\n

The book goes all the way to our heroine\u2019s death and then comes full circle with a new honeybee coming out of its cell in the hive.<\/p>\n

This is another book for which I can\u2019t do the striking pictures justice. I didn\u2019t even think I liked to read books about bees, but I was captivated by this beautiful book. The writing, too, is wonderful. With each job, the writer builds suspense, asking if Apis is finally ready to fly.<\/p>\n

Go check this out and see for yourself!<\/p>\n

HolidayHouse.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Childrens_Nonfiction\/honeybee.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

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