Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera

This enchanting book captures all the wonder and work of a honeybee's life. While the free-verse poetic text in Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera creates a pleasing rhythm that is read-aloud gold, the art expertly supports the educational work of the text. Within the dim and nearly colorless confines of a beehive, Rohmann yields browns, blacks, and yellows to render the honeybees in intricate and beautiful detail, down to the tiny hairs on bee legs. Descriptions of the intricate dance Apis does to give directions to other forager bees and the astonishingly small amount of honey one bee's collected nectar produces in their lifetime will fascinate readers.

Author Candice Fleming smartly creates anticipation by ending each spread with the question: s it time for Apis to fly? "Not yet," the next page answers, followed by an explanation of the next in-hive job she will do. A breathtaking double fold-out spread marks Apis' first flight into fields of colorful flowers and a bright blue sky. It's a lovely "oooh" and "ahhh" moment as readers, too, experience Apis' first taste of freedom. This flair for drama makes the book shine and the science go down easy. This is a delightful pick that will wow budding entomologists and bee-haters alike.