Review: The Honeybee

‘Flapping, flying, landing, prying’ in The Honeybee we follow bees from a colony as they set out to make golden, delicious honey. Their journey plays out as they select flowers, collect nectar, then return to their hive to do a wiggly waggly dance and and further process the nectar into honey.

The book is beautifully finished, the pages are filled with truly refreshing artwork which sets scenes and pairs perfectly with the accompanying text. The honeybee characters are adorably cute with pointy little noses and tiny white collared shirts. I love the little details such as the dotted lines indicating where the bees have been buzzing and the striking bright yellow colour of nectar throughout the book.

This enlightening story has a lovely flow, uses repetition and at times has a poetic sing song feel to it, making it fun and easy to read aloud. As an educational addition, at the back of the book is a letter to readers explaining that the honeybee is endangered and in need of our help, it goes on to suggest some ways in which we can create a more hopeful future for this marvellous creature.

Title: The Honeybee
Author: Kirsten Hall
Illustrator: Isabelle Arsenault
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, $26.99
Publication Date: 1 August 2018
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9781481469975
For ages: 4+
Type: Picture Book