By Joanna Rzezak
Published by Thames and Hudson, May, 2021
Review
Readers follow a hive through the seasons, exploring various flora and fauna they encounter. Before the bees leave the beehive, however, readers can tour the beehive and meet its denizens. Children are invited to find a special bee on each page, one that has orange pollen baskets and a comment for everything. T's favorite part was the special bee to find on each page – he was laser focused on being the first to spot her. (As soon as I pulled this out, he recalled finding Red Socks in 1,001 Ants, also by Rzezak.)
Review
Readers follow a hive through the seasons, exploring various flora and fauna they encounter. Before the bees leave the beehive, however, readers can tour the beehive and meet its denizens. Children are invited to find a special bee on each page, one that has orange pollen baskets and a comment for everything. T's favorite part was the special bee to find on each page – he was laser focused on being the first to spot her. (As soon as I pulled this out, he recalled finding Red Socks in 1,001 Ants, also by Rzezak.)
The strength of 1,001 Bees lies in cute illustrations offering opportunities for exploration. Not only can one seek out Ms. Orange Pollen Baskets, one can also examine diverse labeled plants. And it's worth mentioning that the bees are just plain cute! 1.001 Ant and 1,001 Bees both foster an enjoyment of the insect world, at least for us. We have fun finding the special critter, learn something new about an insect we see daily, and just have a fun experience reading together. What will Rzezak tackle next? I can't wait to see!
I love the direction that non-fiction books are taking. I recall non-fiction books being all expository text with closeup photographs of the animal I was reading about. I don't remember poring over illustrations and going on adventures alongside scientists and animal herds. And I don't think that's on me and my reading choices because when I browse our library's non-fiction section now, the older publications resemble what I recall, but the newer ones appeal to children's innate curiosity and imagination.
My impression is that today's authors/illustrators don't view children as little vessels to fill with information, but rather as intelligent humans who will investigate the world hand in hand with them.
Son's Thoughts
before reading
Hopefully, there will be a special bee and hopefully they will all get eaten except for the special bee because that is how it was in 1,001 Ants.
while reading
Hey, let's try to find the bee with orange pollen on the backs of her legs!
Hey, she always says something!
after reading, looking at the end paper
This is super hard because she does not have her little words.
Extra
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Son's Thoughts
before reading
Hopefully, there will be a special bee and hopefully they will all get eaten except for the special bee because that is how it was in 1,001 Ants.
while reading
Hey, let's try to find the bee with orange pollen on the backs of her legs!
Hey, she always says something!
after reading, looking at the end paper
This is super hard because she does not have her little words.
Extra
You might also like:
1,001 Ants
Note: A review copy was provided for the purpose of an honest review. All thoughts are our own.
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