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The Secret Life of Bees: Meet the Bees of the World, with Buzzwing the Honeybee by Moira Butterfield
mehsi's review
5.0
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.
I just love bees, they are cute and adorable, and I was definitely curious if I could learn even more about these little critters. Plus, come on, look at that cover, it just makes you want to pick up the book and read it!
In this book we follow the wonderfully named Buzzwing as she tells us all about the world of honeybees (and also some other bees). I really liked that we had a protagonist, a guide in the world and her name was also adorable (and so punny), it definitely made it more personal. I had fun seeing what Buzzwing had to show us, had to tell us. A lot of things I already knew, but there were new things for me. I also loved the parts about the beekeeper and what they do for the hive, how they help the hive. I still think it is a cool job to have, though not one for me. I like bees, but not that many bees at once.
I just love bees, they are cute and adorable, and I was definitely curious if I could learn even more about these little critters. Plus, come on, look at that cover, it just makes you want to pick up the book and read it!
In this book we follow the wonderfully named Buzzwing as she tells us all about the world of honeybees (and also some other bees). I really liked that we had a protagonist, a guide in the world and her name was also adorable (and so punny), it definitely made it more personal. I had fun seeing what Buzzwing had to show us, had to tell us. A lot of things I already knew, but there were new things for me. I also loved the parts about the beekeeper and what they do for the hive, how they help the hive. I still think it is a cool job to have, though not one for me. I like bees, but not that many bees at once.
anniejaneb's review
5.0
Excellent informative book all bout bees, without any agendas included. I loved it!
beckys_book_blog's review
5.0
I love this book!! This book will tell you in a very comprehensive way everything there is to know about bees.
The book starts with an introduction by 'Buzzwing the honey bee.' Buzzwing describes his jobs as a 'worker bee' and explains what each part of his body can do. There are great little facts that children will love along the way 'guess what my eyeballs are hairy!'
The book goes on to describe bee hives, how bees send messages to find food, how they make honey, types of bee around the world and so much more. It also includes 'bee stories' from around the world.
The presentation of this book and the detailed illustrations are stunning.
This is a book I have to buy for my children and I fully expect us to keep revisiting it as there is just so much to learn.
This would be a perfect book to have in a primary school for any minibeast topic.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing for this eARC.
The book starts with an introduction by 'Buzzwing the honey bee.' Buzzwing describes his jobs as a 'worker bee' and explains what each part of his body can do. There are great little facts that children will love along the way 'guess what my eyeballs are hairy!'
The book goes on to describe bee hives, how bees send messages to find food, how they make honey, types of bee around the world and so much more. It also includes 'bee stories' from around the world.
The presentation of this book and the detailed illustrations are stunning.
This is a book I have to buy for my children and I fully expect us to keep revisiting it as there is just so much to learn.
This would be a perfect book to have in a primary school for any minibeast topic.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing for this eARC.
lyzz's review
4.0
Title: Secret Life of Bees
Author: Moira Butterfield
Illustrator: Vivian Mineker
Genre: Children’s Non-Fiction
Pages: 48
Publication Date: 5/11/2021
The Secret Life of Bees is a delightful non-fiction children’s book geared at ages 5-10. The book is a bit of a variety book covering multiple topics about bees like different types, where they live, how hives function and what bees do during the winter.
Cover: The cover is colorful and inviting.
Age Appropriate: This children’s non-fiction book has multiple sentences per page meaning it would be more appropriate for slightly older children (school age). Younger children may enjoy some of the book if they had an adult to explain to them.
Narrative: The book covers multiple topics. I learned a ton from this children’s non-fiction book like why beekeeper’s wear white (it soothes the bees) and that smoke is calming to the bees. I also enjoyed that there were little activities for small readers on each page like to find an illustrated lizard.
Representation: I loved that the author decided to incorporate folklore into the book and talk about how bees influenced different cultures such as Thai, Aboriginal and India.
Illustrations: The illustrations in this book are gorgeous with the bees being a vibrant black and yellow. I did find that there was a lot of text on every page. I would have loved to see the book be a couple pages longer and have better text/illustration balance.
I would strongly recommend this book for the small science lover in your life and for classroom libraries. If you end up reading it to a child, I guarantee you will learn some fun facts about bees.
ARC provided to me by words & pictures, via Net Galley, in exchange for an honest review.
Author: Moira Butterfield
Illustrator: Vivian Mineker
Genre: Children’s Non-Fiction
Pages: 48
Publication Date: 5/11/2021
The Secret Life of Bees is a delightful non-fiction children’s book geared at ages 5-10. The book is a bit of a variety book covering multiple topics about bees like different types, where they live, how hives function and what bees do during the winter.
Cover: The cover is colorful and inviting.
Age Appropriate: This children’s non-fiction book has multiple sentences per page meaning it would be more appropriate for slightly older children (school age). Younger children may enjoy some of the book if they had an adult to explain to them.
Narrative: The book covers multiple topics. I learned a ton from this children’s non-fiction book like why beekeeper’s wear white (it soothes the bees) and that smoke is calming to the bees. I also enjoyed that there were little activities for small readers on each page like to find an illustrated lizard.
Representation: I loved that the author decided to incorporate folklore into the book and talk about how bees influenced different cultures such as Thai, Aboriginal and India.
Illustrations: The illustrations in this book are gorgeous with the bees being a vibrant black and yellow. I did find that there was a lot of text on every page. I would have loved to see the book be a couple pages longer and have better text/illustration balance.
I would strongly recommend this book for the small science lover in your life and for classroom libraries. If you end up reading it to a child, I guarantee you will learn some fun facts about bees.
ARC provided to me by words & pictures, via Net Galley, in exchange for an honest review.
librarypatronus's review
4.0
We did a bee unit in our homeschool before COVID, including visiting a local beekeeper, and it was one of my favorite things we studied (even though I’m terrified of real bees!) and this was a nice refresher. I liked the illustrations, and the “find X on this page” I also really liked the bee themed mythology.
kittykult's review
4.0
In The Secret Life of Bees, an absolutely adorable bee with a bowtie named Buzzwing gives a tour of his life including his life cycle, anatomy, stories from around the world, how honey is made, and how beekeepers do their work. The illustrations are super cute and each topic is short with only a couple pages, so it can be read in pieces. This book was very informative for how short it was. For example, I, a 27 year old who pays taxes, did not know that bees don’t actually buzz - it’s just the sound of the air being vibrated by their wings! Definitely worthwhile for anyone who would like to learn a little more about bees.
Note: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not compensated in any other fashion for the review and the opinions reflected below are entirely my own. Special thanks to the publisher and author for providing the copy.
Note: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not compensated in any other fashion for the review and the opinions reflected below are entirely my own. Special thanks to the publisher and author for providing the copy.
ctrem83's review
5.0
I buzzzzzed right through this book!
Such an informative and diverse book about bees! The awesome illustrations help bring to life these bees and their importance in our environment. Now more than ever we need to be educating the younger generations that if we have no bees, we have nothing.
I love the folklore and bee facts that are interspersed throughout the book, it truly shows the importance job that bees do all over the world!
This book and it's guide Buzzwing are both 5 stars for sure!
Such an informative and diverse book about bees! The awesome illustrations help bring to life these bees and their importance in our environment. Now more than ever we need to be educating the younger generations that if we have no bees, we have nothing.
I love the folklore and bee facts that are interspersed throughout the book, it truly shows the importance job that bees do all over the world!
This book and it's guide Buzzwing are both 5 stars for sure!
librarianlk's review
Simple clear, and child-friendly illustrations tell facts and a few folktales about bees. The narrator Buzzwing the honey bees invites reader's to look for hidden animals on most of the two page spreads, which is a clever way to encourage reader's to examine the illustrations more closely. Just a couple of quibbles, though. Some animals animals we are asked to look for have proper names, such asare Whisker Mouse and Lacey Ladybird, but the rest of the animals to look for don't have proper names. I didn't like this inconsistency. Another botheration for me is that the ladybugs are called ladybirds. Forgive my ignorance, but I've never heard of them referred to as ladybirds. I spent a great deal of time looking for three birds, and there are three hens on the page. I finally gave up and googled it.
poetraebooks's review
5.0
Such a cute book about bees! It's a little long for my babies at this time but we'll definitely revisit it in the future. One thing that stood out the most to me besides the beautiful illustrations was the diversity in the characters throughout the book. That is something I really look for when selecting books for my children to read.
briarsreviews's review
4.0
Despite being scared of bees, I grabbed this book! Bees are so helpful and interesting to learn about, why not learn a bit more about them from a delightful picture book?
This colourful, beautifully illustrated book is a real hidden gem! A must read, if I might add. Not only is it an educational book, but it packs in some fun too! The first page opens up to a little "Where's Waldo" section where you're helping the bee find his mouse friend!
The entire book is told in a more story format - it feels like fiction but is definitely non-fiction. I really enjoyed that aspect because learning can be such a bore! Having the story so engaging and colourful is just what some young readers need. I think this is a great book for those picky readers that despite non-fiction!
Four out of five stars.
Thank you to NetGalley, words & pictures and Quarto Publishing Group for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.
This colourful, beautifully illustrated book is a real hidden gem! A must read, if I might add. Not only is it an educational book, but it packs in some fun too! The first page opens up to a little "Where's Waldo" section where you're helping the bee find his mouse friend!
The entire book is told in a more story format - it feels like fiction but is definitely non-fiction. I really enjoyed that aspect because learning can be such a bore! Having the story so engaging and colourful is just what some young readers need. I think this is a great book for those picky readers that despite non-fiction!
Four out of five stars.
Thank you to NetGalley, words & pictures and Quarto Publishing Group for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.