These Bees Count!

By Cameron Crane

Written by Alison Formento
Illustrated by Sarah Snow

Hardcover: 32 pages

Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company (February 1, 2012)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0807578681

ISBN-13: 978-0807578681

Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.6 x 0.4 inches

Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces

Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars
 

This Earth Month, as we look at what we can do to protect our planet, it is important to also recognize the creatures who help to make the world what it is. Sometimes, we forget that even the smallest of creatures can make a big impact. Consider, for instance, the honeybee. Did you know that in 2007, the value of food dependent on honeybees was $15 billion in the United States?

“Bees are nature's farmers,” says Alison Formento, author of THESE BEES COUNT!, “Without them, we wouldn't have many of the fruits and vegetables we love to eat.”

In fact, this is one of the underlying messages in THESE BEES COUNT!, a wonderful story about a field trip to Busy Bee Farm that leads to an understanding that bees do count…literally! In the story, Mr. Tate takes his class to meet Farmer Ellen, who takes the children to see the honeybees at work, and encourages them to “listen to their buzz.” The class listens eagerly as the bees sing their song “one by one, we zip up high, buzzing through the bright blue sky.” And so the melodic honeybee poem flows, all the way through ten, giving both the children in the story and the reader a deeper appreciation for “nature’s farmers.”

As if the beautiful rhythm and important message of the story weren’t enough, colorful eye-catching illustrations by Sarah Snow make you feel as if you are right there on the farm with Mr. Tate’s class. Reading THESE BEES COUNT!, the reader is torn between eagerly turning the page to see the next scene, and lingering on the one they are on to take in every detail.

“Eating a honey vanilla ice cream cone inspired my idea for THESE BEES COUNT!,” Alison says, “when I saw all of the signs posted in the ice cream shop about Colony Collapse Disorder. I started researching bees and soon realized how important bees are to our world, just like trees.”

Alison’s experience researching honeybees was very similar to that of the children in Mr. Tate’s class. She visited a local beekeeper to see the process in action, and the story goes from there. Today, Alison has not only an award-winning book to show for it, but she has also developed an amazing Teacher’s Guide to complement the title. You can download the guide free on her website, where you will also find a list of her other wonderful titles, and a great list of links to resources that will help you continue to learn about the messages within them. I guess we can all be glad Alison sat down for ice cream!

If you are looking for a book to read to your children for Earth Month, we recommend THESE BEES COUNT!. Buy it from Amazon or your local bookstore. Be sure to also stay tuned for Alison Formento’s upcoming book THESE SEAS COUNT!, which is scheduled for release in Spring 2013.

“I’m learning that the ways seas and oceans help our world are fathomless,” Alison remarks of her current research. We can't wait to learn more!

Thank you, Alison, for your wonderful stories, and for helping to deliver such important messages!