These Bees Count!

April 2, 2012
The sequel to This Tree Counts! follows Mr. Tate’s class on a field trip to an apiary. Like its predecessor, the story is anchored by a counting poem, in this case one that imagines gathering pollen from a bee’s-eye view (“We find three wild strawberries bursting with sweetness./ Four apple blossoms tickle us with soft petals”) and shows that many flowering plants depend on bees. Decked out in beekeeper suits, the students learn from the friendly apiary workers about how bees make honey and how it is extracted from combs. Formento’s fresh, crisp digital images bring visual variety to the message about the importance of bees in food chains. An afterword provides additional information and discusses colony collapse disorder. Ages 4–7. Agent: Courtney Miller-Callihan, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. Illustrator’s agent: Libby Snow, Artist Representative.

February 1, 2012

K-Gr 2-As with This Tree Counts! (Albert Whitman, 2010), the title of this book has a double meaning. Mr. Tate's class is visiting the Busy Bee Farm. After they are safely garbed in their protective gear, they are taken on a tour by Farmer Ellen, who explains how bees make honey and how important they are in making food and flowers grow. The narrative has an easy conversational flow that maintains interest while providing a wealth of information. The book continues with the literal counting portion as the bees fly out to do their work: "One by one, we zip up high, /buzzing through/the bright blue sky." The collage illustrations are a delight, featuring an inviting landscape of fields and flowers and a multi-ethnic cast of children. The sense of texture in the pictures is palpable to the point that one is almost surprised to find that the paper is flat and smooth. An informative author's note includes information on CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder), a problem currently plaguing beekeepers. Pair this with Laurie Krebs and Valeria Cis's The Beeman (Barefoot, 2008) for a bee-utiful storytime.-Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2012
Formento and Snow successfully collaborate again (This Tree Counts! 2010) as the environmentally aware Mr. Tate takes his class on a field trip to Busy Bee Farm. As in their previous text, counting has a dual purpose, with "1, 2, 3" taking a backseat to education. This time, Farmer Ellen helps the children suit up in beekeeping gear, then teaches the class about bees, apiaries and pollination. She encourages the children to listen to the bees' buzz about their work: "We find three wild strawberries bursting with sweetness. / Four apple blossoms tickle us with soft petals." Readers learn along with the class how bees transform nectar into honey and how that honey is extracted. A final author's note goes into more detail about the vital importance of honeybees to agriculture, as well as telling readers more fascinating facts about bees, including their dances, their hierarchy within the hive and the jobs they do. A final paragraph mentions colony collapse disorder. The digital look of the illustrations detracts slightly, catching readers between the nature theme of the text and the rather sterilized artwork. Still, the adventures of this multicultural class of kids are sure to interest readers, and Snow makes it easy to identify and count the items in the pictures. After learning all about how bees count, readers will be counting on Mr. Tate's class to give them another environmental armchair trip. (Picture book. 4-7)

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