Follow That Bee!: A First Book of Bees in the City

by Scot Ritchie, Scot Ritchie (Illustrator)

Overview

Pedro, Nick, Yulee, Sally and Martin are buzzing with excitement today! The five friends are visiting Martin’s neighbor, Mr. Cardinal. He keeps beehives in his backyard, and he’s offered to show them how honeybees live. As the kids help Mr. Cardinal with his work, he explains how bees feed and pollinate, what happens inside their colony, how they build their hives and even why they like to dance! He also tells the friends why some bee populations are in trouble and what people can do to help. And the perfect sweet ending to the day? Honey, of course! These children are sure to remember: it’s best to ”bee a friend“ to the bees of the world!

This playful book mixes narration, facts and appealing illustrations to introduce young children to why the world needs bees, and how people can help them thrive. It’s part of the critically acclaimed Exploring Our Community series from award-winning author and illustrator Scot Ritchie, which features the same five culturally diverse characters throughout. Comprehensive yet entertaining, the book encourages children to look closer at the natural world around them, including in cities, and raises their awareness about how each person can do something to help the environment. It aligns perfectly with the early science curriculum, particularly sustainability and stewardship, and understanding life systems. Rounding out the information in the story are a full bee illustration with the parts identified, a glossary and two activities that can be done at home or in school.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781525300349
Publisher:	Kids Can Press
Publication date:	04/02/2019
Series:	Exploring Our Community Series , #6
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD820L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Scot Ritchie is an award-winning author-illustrator of over 50 books including Follow That Map!, Look Where We Live! and My House Is Alive!: The Weird and Wonderful Sounds Your House Makes. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Scot Ritchie is an award-winning author-illustrator of over 50 books including Follow That Map!, Look Where We Live! and My House Is Alive!: The Weird and Wonderful Sounds Your House Makes. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Editorial Reviews

... a fun and informative story about bees that will engage both kids and their parents.—Sherbrooke Record

... animal lovers and budding conservationists will enjoy this peek into the life of a familiar and crucial species.—School Library Journal

An informative addition to Ritchie's Exploring Our Community series and a useful selection for many libraries.—Booklist

... an exciting addition to Ritchie's “Exploring Our Community” series.—CM Magazine

From the Publisher

2019-02-06

Ritchie's five friends are back and learning about urban beekeeping in this newest outing in the Exploring Our Community series.

Their guide is Mr. Cardinal, who keeps two hives in his pesticide-free, dandelion-dotted backyard garden. The kids help him pick out new, native flowers at the nursery to add to his garden before visiting a local pollinator garden. They look sadly at a new building going up in a formerly vacant lot before returning to Mr. Cardinal's to harvest honey and put it into jars. Nick is stung and calmly sits while Mr. Cardinal extracts the stinger and treats the sting. Throughout, bee facts are imparted in the running narrative, in supplemental expository text on each topical spread and in dialogue balloons ("Bees like purple, blue and yellow flowers," says Pedro; "They can't see the color red!" adds Yulee). Tips on helping bees and a glossary close the tale. While there is some oversimplification (the extraction of honey for market is far quicker and less messy than in real life), most of the information presented is solid, with the unfortunate exception of the illustration of a feral beehive as a gray, papery blob rather than separate panes of waxy, bee-covered comb. The kids are diverse; Mr. Cardinal has tan skin and black hair.

A serviceable introduction to a hot topic. (Informational picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews