Brilliant Bees

Children's Literature

Beautifully-rendered colored pencil illustrations enhance this look at the lives of honeybees seen through the eyes of a young girl. Glaser covers such topics as pollination, communication, and the organization of a hive. The body of the text is appropriate for beginning readers while the four pages of end matter give more detailed information at a relatively higher level of information and readability, including how many bees live in a typical hive, the jobs of worker bees, how bees use nectar and pollen, their life span, why bees buzz, and so forth. As in many of Glaser's books, the text is an odd mix of straight prose along with rhyme and near-rhyme which gives it something of a lyrical feel without being true verse. This should not bother young readers who love learning about the natural world. It is similar in presentation to Glaser's other titles such as Spectacular Spiders and Magnificent Monarchs. Overall, this is an attractive volume and would make a good addition to both libraries for research purposes and classrooms for both science and reading instruction. 2003, The Millbrook Press, Ages 5 to 8.
— Anne Marie Pace

School Library Journal

A close-up look at the daily life of bees, with four pages of more detailed FAQs. Read with The Beeman (below) and have a honey-tasting party with samples from different locales. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.