What’s the Buzz? 10 Bee Books To Share With Your Hive
by Lindsay Barrett
Bees are native to every continent except Antarctica, so most kids can relate learning about them to real-life bee sightings. Bees aren’t just insects, though — their hardworking collaborative habits and unique role as the earth’s busiest pollinators set them apart. Books are perfect tools for building kids’ appreciation of and knowledge about bees. Check out this list of buzz-worthy bee books for kids of all ages.
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Bee
Available from:Honoring toddlers’ developmental levels — including their tiny attention spans — while exposing them to factual information is a balancing act. This author has a knack for using simple language to explain big concepts like pollination and how honeybees work together to make honey. Plus, the book design and illustrations are perfectly adorable.
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Maisy Loves Bees
Available from:Young readers can learn so much alongside Maisy in this straightforward and colorful board book. Maisy loves to garden and celebrates the bees that help her plants thrive. With different text options, you can read just the simple story to younger toddlers or include the factual information about bees for older readers. Either way, this touchstone book encourages young children to notice bees in their environment.
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Adventures with Finn and Skip: Bee
Available from:Much-loved characters Fisherman Finn and his faithful dog Skip head out for a picnic with Finn’s grandchildren. However, they’re surprised when bees swarm them for their delicious spread. The buzzing bees lead them to meet a beekeeper. She teaches them — and readers — about these fascinating creatures and how to help them.
REALTED: 4 Reasons To Adore the Adventures with Finn and Skip Series
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Bee: A Peek-Through Picture Book
Available from:All the Peek-Through Picture Books are delightful, and this one is particularly lovely. Hexagonal die-cuts follow one bee on her visits to flowers and trees, collecting nectar and moving pollen. Then, it’s back to the hive to gather her sisters and lead them to continue the same work. Younger readers will enjoy the bright, beautiful illustrations, and older readers will learn more about a bee’s work. (This title is also available in board book format!)
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Bee
Available from:What’s it like to be a bee? This story whimsically answers a young bee-loving boy’s questions. He puts on a magic bee suit and meets honeybees Beatrice and Bella, who take him on an extraordinary adventure. Children will fly along with him in their imaginations to the hive, farms, fields, and cities as they learn how “every flower counts” for bees.
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The Bee Book
Available from:This engaging nonfiction ode to bees’ unique and amazing work sends a strong message about the importance of bee conservation. Infographic-style illustrations invite readers to learn more. The organized sections and a robust table of contents let children flip straight to the sections that pique their interest. (Fly over to 10 Reasons Why Bees Are Worth Buzzing About, shared by this author, to learn cool bee facts!)
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Give Bees a Chance
Available from:Do bee sightings elicit squeals of fear from the kids in your life? This book goes out to all the young readers who feel skeptical about these buzzing critters. Comic book-style illustrations share facts about types of bees, bee bodies, how honey is made, and pollination.
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Flight of the Honey Bee
Available from:This engaging narrative nonfiction title explains the different jobs within a honeybee hive in memorable, kid-friendly terms: cleaner, babysitter, builder, guard, scout, and harvester. The story follows a scout’s journey in mesmerizing detail. Readers will root for Scout to return safely to her sister bees and spread the news of the flower field she found.
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The King of Bees
Available from:Henry lives in the lush South Carolina Lowcountry with his Aunt Lilla, a professional beekeeper. Reading this story feels like sitting on a stump with Henry, watching Aunt Lilla work, and learning from her expertise. When it seems like the bees might leave Aunt Lilla’s hive, Henry bravely does what he can to help. It’s sure to inspire some future beekeepers.
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The Bees of Notre-Dame
Available from:We think of bees as part of natural landscapes, but this true story introduces children to a notable example of urban beekeeping. When a fire threatened to damage the iconic Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris in 2019, committed beekeeper Sibyle Moulin thought first of the hives she tended on the cathedral roof. Readers will be on the edge of their seats and relieved to learn that the bees prevailed, a metaphor for their and the cathedral’s resilience.
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