Give Bees a Chance by Bethany Barton
Following the success of I'm Trying to Love Spiders, Bethany Barton migrates away from an arachnid's web and drops into a hive for her latest nonfiction picture book, Give Bees a Chance. Readers meet the narrator and "Best Buddy" Edgar. This twosome shares a love for many cool things such as dinosaurs, board games, and honey. However, the unnamed friend is shocked to discover that Edgar does not like bees. It becomes apparent that the basis of Edgar's fear is the bee's stinger. Now it's up to his friend to allay these fears by pointing out many fascinating facts about bees including: history (ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics of bees), anatomy (five eyes, including two compound eyes), and honey production (bees barfing honey into a honeycomb cell). |
The narrative emphasizes the importance of bees in the earth's ecosystem and explains the dangers of a reduced bee population. End papers feature color wash backgrounds that highlight line drawings and brief descriptions of various bees identified by intriguing names such as Cuckoo Bee, Metallic Green Bee, and Hornfaced Bee. Interesting fact: Did you know that there are about 25,000 different species of bees? |
Companion Sources: Give Bees a Chance
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Honey Nut Cheerios have a website with information and activities, including the video "A Future Without Bees." | Whole Foods Market initiated "Give Bees a Chance." This informative video shares information on bumblebees. | Burt's Bees campaign to "Help Bring Back the Bees" includes a social media post-a-selfie campaign. |