Informational Resources:

Author Information:

Author Information-

Candace Fleming Website: https://www.candacefleming.com/

Candace Fleming Biography: https://www.candacefleming.com/about/biography.html

Illustrator Information-

Eric Rohmann Website: https://www.ericrohmann.com/

Erin Rohmann Biography: https://www.ericrohmann.com/pages/about.html

Activities & Resources:

Honeybees

Use the honeybee chart in the back of the book (back matter) to learn about the different parts of the honeybee’s body.

Learn more fun facts about honeybees by reading the A Bit More Buzz section of the book’s back matter.

Learn about the busy life of a bee (3:59): https://youtu.be/ta154f5Rp5Y

Learn about the honeybee and the many roles it plays in our world: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/insects/honeybee/

Make a honeybee finger puppet and create a play that explains the life cycle of the honeybee: https://iheartcraftythings.com/bee-finger-puppets-craft.html

San Diego Zoo Bee Zone: https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/bee

Explore the world of honeybees: https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/explore-world-honeybees/

Nonfiction Writing

Write your own nonfiction book. Choose a bug - like a bee - and find out as much information as you can about the bug. Write and illustrate your book by using Book Creator or another book creation app.

Learn about Candace Fleming’s research process: https://www.candacefleming.com/blog/2014/10/23/organizing-my-research/

Honey

How to harvest honey (8:48): https://youtu.be/xnhmxNoo4EY

Honeybee hive live cam: https://explore.org/livecams/honey-bees/honey-bee-hive-cam

MakerSpace Activities:

Create a 3D model of the bee life cycle: https://www.steamsational.com/life-cycle-of-a-bee-activity/

DIY bee hive: https://www.pragmaticmom.com/2017/07/diy-bee-house-stem-project/

Research bee friendly plants and check your garden at home or at school to see if your yard is bee friendly.

Bee friendly plant scavenger hunt. See how many bee friendly plants you can find.

Discussion Questions:

What do you notice about the illustration on the first page? What is drawing the eye?

Why did the author use descriptive words like squirms, pushes, chews when describing the honeybee leaving the cell?

Why did the author have two opening pages with illustrations and text describing the start of the honeybee’s life before the story starts?

Why would the new bee need to rest?

Apis finds a cell in the hive that has pollen. What happens to her as she is eating the pollen? Why is the pollen important to Apis at this point in her life?

Why does the author ask if Apis is strong enough to fly? Why do we think of flying when we think of bees?

What is one of Apis’s first jobs in the hive? Why is this job important? What does it tell you about the honeybee and the hive?

Apis checks on all the “grub-like larvae” and makes sure they are all fed. Why is she in charge of this task? How is this similar to other animals and babies?

What do you notice about the illustrations? How do the illustrations help us learn about Apis’s life?

Why doesn’t the queen bee have time to take care of herself? Why is she so important to the hive?

Why do the bees move on to the next job so quickly? How do you think the bees know it’s time to work on the next job?

What are some unique characteristics about the hive? What do you notice about each bee’s role in the hive?

Why are bees not a part of the colony so dangerous?

What are the bees’ jobs when they are finally able to fly from the hive?

As Apis is searching for nectar she is taking and leaving pollen wherever she flies. Why is this important? How does it help our world?

Why does Apis tell the other bees about the nectar? Why do they need to go find the nectar as well?

In Apis’s short life she visited 30,000 flowers and flew five hundred miles. She collects 1/12 a teaspoon of honey. Why is Apis willing to work so hard?

When do honeybees die away from their nest?

Why does the author end the book with a new honeybee breaking through the cell?

Did your opinion of bees change after reading the book? Why or why not?

Book Talk Teasers:

Watch the TBA book trailer for Honeybee the Busy Life of Apis Mellifera .

Read the Readers Theater for Honeybee the Busy Life of Apis Mellifera.

Read Alikes:

Why Bees Are Important

Barton, Bethany. Give Bees A Chance. This book is for anyone who doesn't quite appreciate how extra special and important bees are to the world, and even to humankind! Besides making yummy honey, they help plants grow fruits and vegetables. (Novelist Plus).

Milner, Charlotte. The Bee Book. Young readers interested to know about the lives of bees and their role in food production will enjoy this fascinating informational picture book. (Novelist Plus)

Day in the Life

Chrustowski, Rick. Bee Dance. A honeybee searches for nectar, then returns to the hive to tell the other bees. (Novelist Plus)

Florian, Douglas. UnBEElievables. A fact-filled picture book presenting the lives of bees in ways that are sure to capture the imagination. (Novelist Plus)

Hall, Kirsten. The Honeybee. Science meets art in this beautiful nonfiction picture book that reveals the hidden lives of honeybees. (Novelist Plus)

The Life Cycle

Gibbons, Gail. The Honey Makers. Covers the physical structure of honeybees and how they live in colonies, as well as how they produce honey and are managed by beekeepers. (Novelist Plus)

Hurley, Jory. Beehive. An exploration of the life cycle of bees and how they construct hives and make honey. (Novelist Plus)

Reviews:

Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera. Fleming, Candace. Holiday/Neal Porter. 2020.

Booklist

Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera (Starred)

Fleming, Candace (author). Illus. by Eric Rohmann

Feb. 2020. 40p. Holiday/Neal Porter, $18.99 (9780823442850). Grades 1-4. 595.79.

REVIEW. First published February 1, 2020 (Booklist).

Yet another picture book about bees? Yes, indeed! Glorious illustrations and engaging text combine to present readers with an up-close look at the life of a honeybee. The action jumps right in, beginning even before the title page, as a new bee chews her way out of her birth chamber and immediately starts working to support her hive. The present-tense text employs simple, straightforward sentences to describe her day-to-day development, with every page ending with the question “Is she going to fly now?” The answer remains “No!” for the first 25 days, until, finally, in a glorious four-page foldout, she soars away over a meadow. Ten days later, her time is up, and she peacefully curls up on the forest floor just as another honeybee is born. The vivid oil paint illustrations include minute details and, at times, seem indistinguishable from photographs. The pictures align perfectly with the text, showing the honeybee hard at work at various tasks. Back matter includes a physical diagram, ways humans can help bees, facts, trivia, and additional resources. Whether used to support inquiry projects or as a stunning storytime selection, this offering will captivate audiences. — Kathleen McBroom

Reprinted with Permission of Booklist https://www.booklistonline.com/

School Library Journal (January 1, 2020)

K-Gr 4-Prior to the title page, two full-page close-ups show a honeybee emerging from her wax cell. The free verse poem that runs through the entire book helps readers envision the start of this life cycle. The text and the accompanying illustrations work together masterfully. The vocabulary is precise and razor sharp: each word makes an impact, adding a crucial detail. The language also generates and sustains curiosity. Early on in the narrative, Fleming wonders if the honeybee is ready to fly, but the answer is "not yet." Other jobs come first-cleaning, nursing, queen tending, comb building, food handling, and guarding. The bee finally takes flight "on the twenty-fifth day of her life." It is worth the wait. Rohmann's illustrations make a dramatic transition. The previous oil-on-paper illustrations are amazingly detailed, large, and easy to examine. The warm colors of the hive (brown, black, yellow) show a safe, secure environment. But as Apis Mellifera peers out from the hive, the perspective radically changes, and a four-page gatefold of a sunny meadow with a field of flowers is visible. Readers follow the insect through each of her jobs until her end, where a new honeybee takes her place. It's an impressive cycle. VERDICT This book is nonfiction at its best-a combination of beautifully crafted language and astonishing close-up illustrations. Fleming displays admiration for honeybees and conveys enormous respect for their work.-Myra Zarnowski, City University of New York © Copyright 2020. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Reprinted with permission from School Library Journal, 2020. http://www.slj.com.