Susanna Leonard Hill has a feature on her blog called Perfect Picture Book Friday. It is a list of “perfect” picture books recommended by all sorts of people. I chose this book because it has an important message about caring for bees, and because my dad loves bees and how much they help the world.
These Bees Count!
By Alison Formento
Illustrated by Sarah Snow
32 pages – ages 4+
Published by Albert Whitman & Company on February 1, 2012
Theme/Topic – Environment, Bees, Counting, Nature
Opening and Synopsis – “Mr. Tate’s class loves taking field trips. Today their bus went to a farm.”
At first the kids thought it was strange that all there was on the farm were flowers and trees. Then they find out it is a bee farm and bees live there. Then they learn about how bees are so important to plants, flowers and us! They also listen to the buzzing of the bees and hear the bees’ song.
Why I liked this book – This is a great book for young kids to learn about how bees are very important. It also talks about how bees make honey. I like that during the “Bees’ song” the bees count up to ten, which also teaches young kids how to count. This is a great book for ALL ages! I love Ms. Formento’s book! I can’t wait to read her “These Trees Count” book and the newest book in the series, “These Seas Count”!
Activities and Resources –
There is a small section in the back of the book with information about bees. Ms. Formento has an AWESOME website! There is a lot of information about bees there (and her other books). Click HERE to check it out.
Ms. Formento also has a teacher’s resource guide that has a ton of information and activities about bees. Click HERE to get it.
I found some good information about honeybees at the National Geographic website HERE.
You can talk to your kids about how important honey bees are and also tell them about “Colony Collapse Disorder” ( disease that effect honey bees and causes an entire bee colony to disappear – you can read more about that HERE). Make a chart with your kid you can event use picture to do it. Show how you start with a honey bee and show how bees pollinate flowers and the flowers grow into food we eat or other animals eat and how it is all connected.
Here’s is a great video I found that shows how bees make honey. 🙂
To find more Perfect Picture Books please visit Susanna Hill’s blog HERE
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Categories: Age 1-5
I’m so glad you added this one to the list, Erik! It’s a terrific book about a very important topic. Great activities and resources. This is a book I hope everyone gets a chance to read.
I am glad you like my pick Ms. Hill!
Bees are in the air today, it’s the second post on bees I’ve read today 🙂
Bees are all the BUZZ! hee hee
Great post Erik! Sounds like a great book, there’s no better time to teach children about the importance of bees with so many of their colonies disappearing. I love all the great activities on Ms. Formento’s website and in the book. Thanks again and best of luck to Ms. Formento.
Paul R. Hewlett
My dad told me about the problem with hives going away and why that is a big problem. When I met Ms. Formento at the Lititz book festival, I was happy to see that she wrote a book about how important bees are. 🙂 Thanks Mr. Hewlett!
I love that you selected this book, Erik. It is such an important story to share with kids. My brother and his wife have five bee hives on their organic farm. Bees are so important to our environment. I also have given a gift of Bee Hives through programs like Heifer International and other groups to family and friends.
My dad actually wants to start bee hives. I think it is important to tell kids about how important bees are to us. That’s cool that you gave bee hives through Heifer International!!
Yay! Sounds like you’ve bee-come a bee advocate too!
Hee Hee 😉
Erik, terrific choice and I love the video clip and activities you suggest. Makes me want to revise my bee manuscript!
You have a bee manuscript?!? Very cool! I would love to read it! 🙂
Thanks for this review, Erik. I have been so curious about this book — nice to get a sense of what it’s about.
It is a great story with an important message. I hope you like it if you get it. 🙂
Oh, I think my nonfiction-loving kiddos would enjoy this book. They love anything that helps them learn about how the world works. Thanks, Erik!
I hope your family likes the book Ms. Larsoon!
When I met Erik at the Kid-Lit Book Fest sponsored by Aaron’s Books in Litiz, PA, he told me about his review blog and we had a wonderful conversation about some of the novels that we’ve loved reading this year. What a lovely surprise to have my new picture book reviewed on this site, too. I love all the great bee links included here, too, and that you share the importance of bees in our world, just like our trees and seas. Thanks, Erik, and happy reading!
Thank you for taking the time to comment Ms. Formento! I was really happy to meet you too. 🙂 Our whole family really enjoyed your book. I can’t wait to read your others!
You’ve written a great review and this sounds like an excellent book. I’ll definitely check it out and read it to my son.
Thank you! 🙂 I hope you son likes it!
Great choice and great resources Erik!
I’ve always wanted to see one of the tractor trailer trucks loaded with bee hives that are used to pollinate large crops in agricultural areas. Bees are so important to our food supply!
I’ve never seen one of those! My dad told me that farmers will hire bee keepers to bring their bees to pollinate their crops. I guess that is how they do that. I am going to google that! 🙂
Here’s a blog with some more info and photos! http://brookfieldfarmhoney.wordpress.com/2011/02/08/loading-honeybees-for-almond-pollination/
AWESOME! Thank you!
This looks like a great book Erik! We have a lot of beekeepers in our area and they sell honey on our square on the weekends. I sometimes get to go visit with them and hear all about the bees. I think I need to read this book. Thanks for sharing.
We get our honey from local bee keepers too. My dad actually wants to start raising bees. I think that would be cool. 🙂
Wonderful post, Erik. It is such an important thing to teach children about bees.
Thanks Dr. Clune! Bees are very important in our life. 🙂
This sounds so great. It is very intriguing how bees makes something so wonderful to eat! I will add this one to my list and I will keep in mind that she has upcoming books that sound delightful, too.
Actually, “These Trees Count!” is the first book in the series. My Dad got this one because… He loves bees. 😉 This is a great book! 🙂
This book sounds fantastic, Erik, as do the Trees and Seas books coming up. Thank you so much for sharing it with us!
This is a great book Ms. Stilborn! I guess I should’ve been more clear in my post – Trees is out, Seas is coming out.
WOW! Erik please send your readers to Kid Lit Reviews (click on name). I would,uh give almost anything to have the great comments you get with EVERY POST!! Impressive. We both began our sites around the same time. WHAT IS YOUR SECRET?
Nice review. Always a good perspective.
Thanks Ms. Morris! I am glad you like my review! You review a lot of picture books, maybe try doing Ms. Hills Perfect Picture Book Friday! I get a lot of followers from that 🙂
What a fascinating book, Erik! I always wondered about the decrease in be population. Now I know where to look for more information. Great links, too.
Thanks Ms. Del Boccio! The decrease in bees is a sad thing. Most of the flowers and trees wouldn’t survive and we wouldn’t have honey if bees became extinct. 🙁
Great choice Erik. Kids will get a kick out of learning something about bees. (I am not a lover of them myself though)
They aren’t too nice if you get stung, but they are very important to our lives!
This reminded me of the Naomi Shihab Nye poetry book I reviewed several months back: Honeybee! 🙂 Very cute, Erik. 🙂
Thanks! I need to reread that review! 😉