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Give Bees a Chance

Bethany Barton (Goodreads Author)

4.23 · Rating details · 258 Ratings · 76 Reviews

From the author-illustrator of Children's Choice Book Award Winner I'm Trying to Love Spiders a plea to please give bees a chance!

Not sure whether to high-five bees or run away from them? Well, maybe you shouldn't high-five them, but you definitely don't have to run away from them. Give Bees a Chance is for anyone who doesn't quite appreciate how extra special and importan ...more

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Hardcover, 40 pages

Published April 25th 2017 by Viking Books for Young Readers

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May 03, 2018 Dani - Perspective of a Writer rated it liked it

Shelves: 2018, picture-books, picture-books-stars-4-5-less, pictures-with-boo, picture-books-standalone, reviewed, review-wrote-add-later

Check out more Picture book reviews @ Perspective of a Writer...

"Not sure whether to high-five bees or run away from them? Well, maybe you shouldn't high-five them, but you definitely don't have to run away from them. Give Bees a Chance 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. And most bees wouldn't hurt a fly (unless it was in self-defense!)."

The paragraph above pretty much describes exactly what this book is about... It's factual based teaching on a kid's level about the importance of bees to the environment and food production. It's all actually really important facts that kids NEED to know. I appreciate the book for this fact. It's definitely a book everyone should read to their kids and discuss with them at least once. While my nephew didn't really get all of the facts he LOVED the page about bee anatomy!

The art was seriously disappointing to me. I LOVED the cover and thought there would be many spreads like this in the book. But really it just wasn't so... there is this odd character Edgar who needs to be convinced to like bees and he's annoying and ugly. He mars each and every page of what could have been a gorgeous book!

The vocabulary was nice balance of hard and easy... my struggle lay in the confusing nature of Edgar... His being in the story distracted from the facts instead of highlighting them. And pages where there was NO Edgar were more enjoyable for my nephew than pages where he appeared. His dialogue was not engaging at all and that really disappointed most of all.

Recently I read a couple books with my nephew where they break the 4th wall and talk directly to the reader. THAT would have been something my nephew would really enjoy! A queen bee could escort the reader around to try to convince them to like bees and not squash them!! As it is the book is a little dry and we finished quickly. The art my nephew drew was quite cute... using the cover of course and crossing it with the inside title page of flowers. It turned out quite cute, right?!

BOTTOM LINE: A great set of facts!

______________________
You can find this review and many others on my book blog @ Perspective of a Writer. See my picture book reviews in a special feature called Boo's Picture Gallery... ...more

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Nov 10, 2017 Christine rated it really liked it

Shelves: children-s, non-fiction

Informative, cute, and very funny! This children's book about the importance of bees is written in a casual, factual, and humorous manner. "Best-buddy-Edgar" is a hoot (as he 'doesn't really like bees,' and needs a lot of convincing!).

Fictional characters explore a non-fiction topic that is very timely: bee populations are declining worldwide.

The author is also the illustrator; on the title page at the end of the book, she has this to say about her multimedia art:

"The artwork in this book was r ...more

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Apr 27, 2017 Becky rated it it was amazing

LOVED this new picture book! It is such a fun way to share the "bee love" and teach kids (and adults) not to be scared of them, but to appreciate their "wonderfulness"! It's funny, it's short, it's teachability at it's best! Don't miss this fabulous way to learn about and share the love of bees!

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Aug 05, 2017 Joyce Yattoni rated it it was amazing

Shelves: picture-books

Interesting informational picture book. Could use to kick off a discussion on organizational patterns and how authors intentionally use patterns in their writing to communicate ideas.

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Apr 22, 2017 Alex (not a dude) Baugh rated it really liked it

Shelves: bees, nature, picture-books

The narrator of this book introduces the reader to his best friend Edgar. The two love all the same things except bees, Edgar just does not like bees, and especially not their stingers or sacs of venom, not after being stung (an event that is humorously depicted along). The narrator is crazy about bees, and begins a campaign to convince Edgar to change how he views bees, all 25,000 kinds of bees. Barton's illustrations may be characteristically cartoonish, but don't let that fool you. She has in ...more

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Jun 12, 2017 Gary Anderson rated it really liked it

Because our most memorable interactions with bees usually end in pain, author Bethany Barton has set herself quite a challenge in making bees interesting and appealing, but Give Bees a Chance is an engaging picture book that will help young readers understand and appreciate bees. The facts here are tantalizingly revealed as a friend tries to convince his pal that bees are more than just conveyors of stings. The large drawings and informal font make Give Bees a Chance seem lighter than it would a ...more

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Feb 05, 2018 June rated it liked it

Recommends it for: bee/insect requests

Recommended to June by: DCPL CSWG

Shelves: non-fiction, picture-book

Fun/humorous non-fiction picture book, that has one friend explaining to another why bees are important and that they need help.

Maybe more of a 3.5

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Aug 08, 2017 Sandy Brehl rated it it was amazing

Shelves: concepts, multi-age, nature, non-fiction, pb-non-fiction, picture-book, plants, realistic-current, science, series

An outstanding addition to this budding series, with more to come (I hope). This is an ideal mentor text for writers of any age offering an unmistakable interactive voice, clever depiction of cause/effect, accessible science development, myth-busting, and gloriously colorful but accurate illustrations with clearly labeled and intriguing examples of many of the 200 bee varieties.

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Jun 06, 2017 Shelley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: picture-books

Funny and informative. My second grader's sincere praise: "Now my fear of bees is only in-the-middle!"

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Oct 28, 2017 Mary Lee rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017, picture-book, nonfiction, insects, endpapers

Pair with I (Don't) Like Snakes by N. Davies.

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Jun 02, 2017 Linda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: early-readers-2017, middle-grade-2017, non-fiction2017, picture-books-2017, read-2017

And now there's the terrific non-fiction Give Bees A Chance, that tells how bees work, how many species there are (about 25,000) and how honey is created. The front and back endpapers are illustrated with some of those species. Bethany Barton is a wonderful storyteller and illustrator who's given spiders a chance in the earlier "I'm Trying To Love Spiders", and now she's created a clever introduction to all things about bees. In cartoon drawings, the unseen narrator talks to the scared-of-bees p ...more

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Feb 06, 2018 Carolyn Combs rated it it was amazing

Shelves: children-s-books, wild-shelf-mostly-nature-nonfictio, nonfiction-children-s-books

Brief summary: Despite bee stingers and how scary they are, this book will help you all in love with bees, or at least appreciate them more and fear them less. This book covers everything from how to avoid being stung to how honey is made to why bees need our help. Even bee enthusiasts will probably pick up a new fact or two. It's a super fun and informative read for ages four to eight.

What I love about this book: I love Bethany Barton's lively conversational tone and her ability to persuade the ...more

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Apr 04, 2018 Erika Bichet rated it it was amazing

Shelves: el230

This book, Give Bees a Chance, was such a fun and informative book to read. For anyone who is afraid of bees this is the book to read. The author is trying to inform people about bees and that they are not so scary. The author also has other books similar, such as I'm Trying to Love Spiders. For anyone who is afraid of things such as bees or spiders I would read this authors collection of books.

Description: This book informs you that bees are not scary and you definitely don't have to run away ...more

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Sep 02, 2017 Arminzerella rated it really liked it

Shelves: borrowed-from-the-library, bees, science, nature, insects, juvenile-nonfiction, picture-books, funny

This informational picture book about bees discusses bee facts (mainly honeybees) and their importance while attempting to reassure its audience that bees are not terrifying or mean. Whenever Edgar (the main character who isn’t sure about bees) gets a bit panicky, the narrator backs up and reminds him that he can “blow gently on bees to make them scatter.” The bees retreat and their story can continue. This is a positive introduction to bees that gets all of its facts right and will interest eve ...more

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May 09, 2017 Sandy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: animals, childrens

From the author who wrote I'm Trying To Love Spiders. It's so important now for bees to stay alive and well. There are many facts and information in this book to show how bees are responsible for a variety of fruit and flower bearing plants. I had no idea there were this many species of bees. And just like how spiders are important we need to take care of the bees as well. There's no reason to be afraid of bees, just stay still and blow gently on them to fly away, even if you are allergic to bee ...more

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Jun 06, 2018 Amy Nicole rated it it was amazing

Shelves: pbaday-tbr, pb-writing-connection

I love this! This is a very clever way to write an informational text. One bee lover is trying to convince his best friend to just "give bees a chance" by sharing all the really cool things he knows about them. Love the layout of the pages and the art! (Also kids are so going to love knowing that honey is just bee barf.)

It would be amazing to write an informational text using this book as a mentor text. This could be an amazing partner project where they have to write a script like this book. " ...more

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Jun 23, 2018 Délice rated it it was amazing

I've been seeing the most gorgeous assortment of books about bees buzzing around Bookstagram lately so we picked this one up to check out!! We love nonfiction books about animals over here! Give Bees a Chance, written and illustrated by @bethanybarton is absolutely incredible. Combining stunning watercolor backgrounds, adorably illustrated bees, and walking a little boy through his fear of bees by teaching him how amazing they are, even teaching me some fascinating new facts about bees, it excee ...more

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Jun 30, 2017 Lynn rated it really liked it

Shelves: x2017-chickadee, juvenile-nf

I didn't know bees have 5 eyes and 2 stomachs, and "four wings that lock together for flying, then come apart for easy storage."
Drawings detail bees' features, including numerous species on the endpapers. Author's note admits some artistic license in some of the images within the book.
There seems to be a new genre emerging in which the reader is invited to look closer and learn about animals of which one is wary or afraid (example: "Yucky Worms" by Vivian French).

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Oct 13, 2017 Sheri S. rated it really liked it

I appreciate how interesting and informative this book is. Like her "I'm Trying to Love Spiders" book, this book contains fun and colorful illustrations and is chock full of facts about bees. While it's a picture book, I think it would appeal to kids of all ages because everyone seems to have a story about their encounters with bees. I especially liked the author's description of honey as "bee barf"; I think I had heard that before but it was a fun reminder!

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Jun 13, 2017 Juliana Lee rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017, viking-books-for-young-readers, picture-books, non-fiction, author-illustrator, bees, honey

The author tries to convince her friend Edgar to love bees as much as she does. She gives interesting facts and cool trivia to persuade him to give bees a chance. For example, did you know that bees have a special stomach to store nectar until they pass it on to the next bee by barfing in their mouths? It's true, and the nectar has to be passed multiple times before it's ready to be barfed into a honeycomb cell and sealed shut with beeswax. Cool, huh?

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Apr 27, 2018 Erin Murphy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: children-s-books

I learned so many facts about bees while reading this book! It's useful information presented in a way that is super fun for kids (and adults, too!!) I especially liked the authors note on the last page that explained why the bees she drew had two legs (because drawing bee legs was boring...ha) while pointing the reader to the end pages to see anatomical drawings of bees with 6 legs .

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Mar 04, 2018 Kirsten Murphy rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2018-books-read, nonfiction-picturebooks, picturebooks-beautiful-illustration, picturebooks-endpapers, picturebooks-older-readers

What a great format with great illustrations that work together in a fun way to share factual information about bees, as well as bring an awareness to readers of why we need to protect them.

Connection: I’m Trying To Love Spiders, also by Bethany Barton

Not to be missed in the back: The “author’s very important note” regarding the illustration of the bees in the book

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Dec 14, 2017 Marcie rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2019-ccba-possibles, children-s-informational, children-s-math-and-science, good-read-aloud, preschool

I can see why kids will really like this. I love the illustrations and approach to content. I can see how this will appeal on a lot of levels and be useful in many classrooms. I can see why it will appeal to kids for 2nd-5th grade and it doesn't disappoint after last year's Children's Choice win for I'm Trying to Love Spiders.

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Aug 28, 2017 Kate rated it really liked it

Shelves: animals, canadian-author, children, environment, hpl, illustrated, picture-book, story-times

Children can learn about bees in a gentle way. This book can be used as a science story time book. It packs a lot of information in a short book well. It is fun! The illustrations and text complement each other. The author uses the end papers to give more information in a fun way. The main character Edgar is fun.

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Apr 29, 2018 Two BookWorms Blog rated it it was amazing

Did you know that there are 25,000 kinds of bees (that’s a lot of love to work on!). Barton and her friend Edgar (who reminds me a bit of a minion – kind of capsule-shaped) mostly focus on honeybees. After all, who doesn’t like honey? And besides making honey, bees have a pretty important job.

For the full review: https://twobookwormsblog.wordpress.co...

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Apr 28, 2018 Erica rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2018-reads, children-s

Cute book that tackles a big subject. The information was presented in a fun and colorful way all the while keeping it pretty light, but making the point of the importance of bees in our world. Illustrations were fun. Loved the touch of humor. I'll be keeping an eye out for future books from this author.

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May 05, 2017 Alice rated it really liked it

Shelves: 4-25-stars, 2019-beehive-informational

4.25 stars "Did you say barf?" My favorite line of the whole book! Yes, honey comes from a pretty disgusting exchange with bees...but this book got some serious giggles from me! From the author of "I'm trying to love spiders" (which I loved) this was a great non-fiction, done in a fun way with lots of facts, get fonts and fun! GIVE BEES A CHANCE

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Nov 13, 2017 Vicki rated it liked it

Shelves: picture, kindergarten

This book is probably for the old reader/listener. There is great information in this book about bees.

The illustrations and style of text seems sloppy & messy to me. Personally I just don't enjoy this style.

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May 27, 2017 Monica rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017, nonfiction, picture-books

Full of interesting facts about bees. I had no idea about the process honey goes through. Kind of gross, but the end result is yummy! I love this trend in which nonfiction is told in a narrative style. Reads like a storybook, but full of factual information.

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Dec 20, 2017 Robin Arnold rated it it was amazing

Well I learned many things in this delightful children's book! It's written cleverly and with a science brain so it will not set kids or anyone else up with mythinformation. This is a favorite I'd say.

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