Customer Reviews

Bees (First Discovery)

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I thought I was buying this book for my son to read a few years down the road when he fell into the 4-8 age range recommended. Imagine my reaction when, at 20 months, he started to push it onto my lap every morning saying, "Bees! Bees!" Now I'm not claiming my son is some sort of prodigy. I think this book is just one of those gems that captures the interest of children exceptionally well. True, part of it is undoubtably the illustrated overlays. Well, if reading this book to him now because of the fun pictures gets a child exposed to science and the world aroung him, it might lead to a real enthusiasm for the subject matter down the road. I can foresee many more of these first discovery books on our shelf soon!

The one thing that disappointed me enough to subtract a star from my rating was the lack of any information about the dangerous side of bees. No mention at all was made of their stingers, or that humans should keep clear of the hive unless they are properly outfitted and trained to handle bees. Parents will have to remember to stress this point on their own.

Otherwise, the text was very thorough in describing these creatures, their habits and social structure, as well as defining the bees' role in the natural world. The tone was straightforward and nonpatronizing enough that I found it interesting even as an adult. This book will definitely have a space on our shelf for all the children to come.

This series is an imitation of the Eyewitness format for younger readers. I'd recommend it primarily to preschoolers.

Good points:
-talks about how bees make honey
-lovely pictures
-some "bee culture"
-talks about how bees make wax
-discusses queens, drones, and mating
-discusses life cycle of a bee
-discusses swarming
-discusses wax and honey harvesting

Weaknesses:
-claims that bees communicate to others about nearby sources of food by "flying in circles." Bees communicate by dancing inside the hive, not flying!
-doesn't explain that there is only one queen, a few drones, and many workers per hive
-doesn't warn against pestering bees because of their stingers
-takes domestication as the norm for bees and barely, barely touches on wild bees (all beehives in the main text are manmade, for example)
-goes off on a tangent about other colony/nest-building insects that just distracts from the main text

For the reading level, though, it's a pretty darned good book, and one of the few in the series that I'd recommend.

My kids liked this book but. There is NOT enough details to me. For instance they name the three bees, but do not tell their jobs. My daughter asked, I didn't know. LOL. Then there was the tools they use for bee keeping. They did not say what they were used for. The kids are asking me. I don't know. Thats why you buy a book. But the pictures, colors, and see thru pages are wonderful. But more information would have been nice.