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FLIGHT OF THE HONEY BEE

Page history last edited by RichiesPicks 10 years, 6 months ago

13 September 2013 FLIGHT OF THE HONEY BEE by Raymond Huber and Brian Lovelock, ill., Candlewick, September 2013, 32p., ISBN: 978-0-7636-6760-3 

 

"You can read it in the papers, hear it on the news

The earth is going down, going down in pollution blues"

-- Manfred Mann's Earth Band, "Messin'"

 

"Bees have a powerful sense of smell.  They use their antennae to pick up scents.  Bees can smell in 'stereo,' each antenna smelling in a different direction."

 

"In its lifetime, a bee can travel more than 500 miles (800 km) on flower runs, until its wings eventually wear out."

 

These are two of the amazing facts I learned about bees from FLIGHT OF THE HONEY BEE, a stunning picture book about the life and times of a honey bee named Scout.

 

"A flash of feathers!

"A hungry blackbird swoops for the kill.  But Scout zips down and escapes into the trees, weaving between tangled twigs. 

"When the coast is clear, Scout is drawn to the sea of flowers again.  She settles on a velvety petal and plunges her head into the flower.  Here is sunken treasure: a cup of sweet nectar.  The tip of her tongue, shaped like a miniature spoon, sips the syrup. 

"Scout zips and zags from flower to flower, spreading pollen around.  The pollen clings to her fuzzy body -- a sprinkle of sun-powder."

 

With each book he illustrates, I am becoming a bigger and bigger fan of Brian Lovelock.   Here, in illustrations done in watercolor, acrylic ink, and colored pencil, there is such power to his many close-ups of the bees: Scout and the blue flowers; Scout, about to reach the hive, being attacked by a wasp and having her hive mates come to her aid; Scout doing her complex dance to tell the others where those blue flowers are located; Scout passing her nectar to the house bees. 

 

Besides all of the great facts (that are positioned on the pages like footnotes so as not to detract from the action of the story itself), I really like how author Raymond Huber points out up front how honey bees may be the most important creature for life on earth and then lists, afterward in his author's note, some concrete steps readers can take to help save the bees. 

 

We've got big trouble in America with bees dying off.  This is a great book to enlighten young readers about the importance of these creatures. 

 

Remember, as Joni sang, "Give me spots on my apples, but leave me the birds and the bees.  Please!"

 

Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com
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Moderator http://groups.yahoo.com/group/middle_school_lit/

http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/people/faculty/partingtonr/partingtonr.php  

 

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