dawnoftheread's review against another edition
5.0
Both joyous and informative, this lovely book makes me feel both happy and hopeful.
zephyrinerouseaux's review against another edition
4.0
A short and sweet educational easy reader, The Honeybee boasts beautiful illustrations and fun, jaunty rhymes to teach little ones about our honeybee’s work cycle from the fresh buzz of the morning to the hard work and patience for nectar to form into honey. My little readers enjoyed :)
kgtaylor's review against another edition
4.0
"The Honeybee"'s use of vibrant colors and winding images makes for lovely and beautiful illustrations. This book also has informational pages at the end with facts about honeybees that were discussed throughout the book.
jessalynn_librarian's review against another edition
4.0
June 2018 - gorgeous illustrations and fun to read aloud.
tami_provencher's review against another edition
2.0
The Honeybee is a picture book that tries to detail the annual cycle for a honeybee. The illustrations have a watercolor feel without the washed-out effect that can sometimes happen with that medium. Everything is in shades of yellow set off by dark black and occasional pinks, which definitely stresses the topic of the book (black and yellow being associated with bees) and carries it consistently throughout.
The best rhyming texts for me are those that combine the specificity of word choice, vocabulary, the sound of the words aloud and the meaning of the words. This text begins promisingly with natural rhymes and a comfortable rhythm. Unfortunately that only lasts for the first few pages. Then the rhymes start to become forced, which throws off the rhythm of the words and creates an uncomfortable dissonance between the narrative and the content. The author tries too hard to force the nonfiction facts she wants to convey into a rhyming format and the result is that neither is successful.
By itself The Honeybee has neither the characters or structure for a narrative story nor enough clear, comprehensible exposition to explain pollination, different roles within the hive or the process by which 'nectar' is converted to honey. It could definitely be used as an springboard for or accompaniment to a unit on honeybees or pollination but it is ineffective and incomplete on its own.
The best rhyming texts for me are those that combine the specificity of word choice, vocabulary, the sound of the words aloud and the meaning of the words. This text begins promisingly with natural rhymes and a comfortable rhythm. Unfortunately that only lasts for the first few pages. Then the rhymes start to become forced, which throws off the rhythm of the words and creates an uncomfortable dissonance between the narrative and the content. The author tries too hard to force the nonfiction facts she wants to convey into a rhyming format and the result is that neither is successful.
By itself The Honeybee has neither the characters or structure for a narrative story nor enough clear, comprehensible exposition to explain pollination, different roles within the hive or the process by which 'nectar' is converted to honey. It could definitely be used as an springboard for or accompaniment to a unit on honeybees or pollination but it is ineffective and incomplete on its own.
elizabethmarie34's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
5.0
drusillamilford's review against another edition
3.0
Fun read showing the importance of the honeybee and following it through seasons.
calistareads's review against another edition
5.0
This is a wonderful singing verse with such fun illustrations and art. I really do love this book. It is all about the dance of the honeybee and why and how they do what they do. I love the little waggle dance the bees do.
Both kids are into a big bee phase right now and we are reading all kinds of things about the honey bees. They loved this book.
It really was a fantastic little story. It’s so beautiful. This is one of my favorites of the year.
Both kids are into a big bee phase right now and we are reading all kinds of things about the honey bees. They loved this book.
It really was a fantastic little story. It’s so beautiful. This is one of my favorites of the year.
annsantori's review against another edition
4.0
Arsenault's illustrations are absolutely breathtaking, and the text is pretty good . . . nice environmentalist message with some back-matter that details how to help keep bumblebees from endangerment, but it doesn't scan well all the way through. Regardless, definitely perfect for a 'love your planet,' 'bees,' 'nature,' etc. themed storytime.