Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera
by
Candace Fleming
illustrated by
Eric Rohmann
Edition
Hardcover edition
Publisher
Holiday House
Imprint
Neal Porter Books
ISBN
9780823442850
Awards and Honors
2021 Sibert Medal
Publisher's Weekly Top 10 Best Pictures Books of 2020
POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
None
Beginning at birth, the honeybee emerges through the wax cap of her cell and is driven to protect and take care of her hive. She cleans the nursery and feeds the larvae and the queen. But is she strong enough to fly? Not yet! She builds wax comb to store honey, and transfers pollen from other bees into the storage. She defends the hive from invaders. Apis accomplishes all of this before beginning her life outdoors as an adventurer, seeking nectar to bring back to her hive.
Get up close and personal with Apis, one honeybee, as she embarks on her journey through life, complete with exquisitely detailed illustrations.Diagram of a honeybee. “Helping Out Honeybees.” Bee facts. Online resources. Further reading. Full-color illustrations created with oil paint.
POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
None
Details
Format
Page Count
40
Trim Size
11 1/2" x 9 1/2"
Dewey
595.79
AR
4.2: points 0.5
Lexile
AD750L
Genre
Nonfic
Scholastic Reading Counts
0
JLG Release
Apr 2020
Book Genres
Picture Book
Topics
Honeybees. Animal behavior and characteristics. Insects.
Standard MARC Records
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Cover Art
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Praise & Reviews
Starred or favorable reviews have been received from these periodicals:
Publishers Weekly*, School Library Journal*, Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books*, Booklist*
Praise & Reviews
School Library Journal
Prior to the title page, two full-page close-ups show a honeybee emerging from her wax cell. The free verse poem that runs through the entire book helps readers envision the start of this life cycle. The text and the accompanying illustrations work together masterfully. The vocabulary is precise and razor sharp: each word makes an impact, adding a crucial detail. The language also generates and sustains curiosity. Early on in the narrative, Fleming wonders if the honeybee is ready to fly, but the answer is “not yet.” Other jobs come first—cleaning, nursing, queen tending, comb building, food handling, and guarding. The bee finally takes flight “on the twenty-fifth day of her life.” It is worth the wait. Rohmann’s illustrations make a dramatic transition. The previous oil-on-paper illustrations are amazingly detailed, large, and easy to examine. The warm colors of the hive (brown, black, yellow) show a safe, secure environment. But as Apis Mellifera peers out from the hive, the perspective radically changes, and a four-page gatefold of a sunny meadow with a field of flowers is visible. Readers follow the insect through each of her jobs until her end, where a new honeybee takes her place. It’s an impressive cycle. This book is nonfiction at its best—a combination of beautifully crafted language and astonishing close-up illustrations. Fleming displays admiration for honeybees and conveys enormous respect for their work.
School Library Journal
K-Gr 4-Prior to the title page, two full-page close-ups show a honeybee emerging from her wax cell. The free verse poem that runs through the entire book helps readers envision the start of this life cycle. The text and the accompanying illustrations work together masterfully. The vocabulary is precise and razor sharp: each word makes an impact, adding a crucial detail. The language also generates and sustains curiosity. Early on in the narrative, Fleming wonders if the honeybee is ready to fly, but the answer is "not yet." Other jobs come first-cleaning, nursing, queen tending, comb building, food handling, and guarding. The bee finally takes flight "on the twenty-fifth day of her life." It is worth the wait. Rohmann's illustrations make a dramatic transition. The previous oil-on-paper illustrations are amazingly detailed, large, and easy to examine. The warm colors of the hive (brown, black, yellow) show a safe, secure environment. But as Apis Mellifera peers out from the hive, the perspective radically changes, and a four-page gatefold of a sunny meadow with a field of flowers is visible. Readers follow the insect through each of her jobs until her end, where a new honeybee takes her place. It's an impressive cycle. VERDICT This book is nonfiction at its best-a combination of beautifully crafted language and astonishing close-up illustrations. Fleming displays admiration for honeybees and conveys enormous respect for their work.-Myra Zarnowski, City University of New York?(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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