Follow That Bee!: A First Book of Bees in the City

Exploring Our Community

by Scot Ritchie

A fun introduction to why the world needs bees.Pedro, Nick, Yulee, Sally and Martin are buzzing with excitement today! The five friends are visiting Martin’s neighbor, Mr. Cardinal. He keeps beehives in his backyard, and he’s offered to show the friends how honeybees live. Mr. Cardinal explains how bees feed and pollinate, what happens inside their colony, how they build their hives and even why they like to dance! He also describes why some bees are in trouble and what people can do to help. And the day’s perfect sweet ending? Honey, of course!Kids will delight in the it’s best to “bee a friend” to bees everywhere!

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Nonfiction, Childrens, Nature

36 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 6, 2021

Reviews

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Follow that Bee! is an informative nonfiction picture book aimed at young children. There is a lot of information, but it is delivered in an engaging and entertaining way to keep children interested while learning. In this book, 5 children visit a local, urban bee-keeper. They learn about the basics of bee life (pollination, hives, bee roles, communication and more). He also explains why the number of bees and hives are dwindling and what they can do to help, such as planting specific flowers that attract and feed bees. The book is full of interesting information and bright pictures and would be a great one to use when teaching about bees, environmental awareness, ecology and changes to our world and being good world citizens. A great addition to a school or class library. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book upon request. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own.

[Lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book on bees! It was just the right amount of information without losing the entertainment factor! The illustrations were adorable and Ritchie included a call to action toward the end of the story on how to help the bees! This is a great book for any homeschooling family or elementary class learning about bees!
Thank you Kids Can Press and NetGalley for this educational book! I will highlight this book on my blog Sunday December 2, 2018.
www.colecampfireblog.com
LanaLCole@yahoo.com

[***Book Lady *** · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a non fiction learning book for small children. It packs a lot of information in a small picture book, and has great illustrations. It teaches children what happens inside bee colonies, the difference between the bees at work inside the hive, types of flowers they like, the importance of bees and why, and how they find food. A wonderful book!

[Etienne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little story/instructive book about bees and the importance they have in our world. Nothing extraordinary but a good way to introduce young mind to what may become, if it isn't already, a serious matter of our modern world!

[Christina Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introduction to bees, how they live, their importance and what they like. This would be perfect to read in school to ages 3+ and would serve as a springboard to find out more about different bees and other pollinators.
3.5 stars.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this arc from NetGalley for an honest review. Excellent book for kids about why bees are important to us and how to help save them.

[Gail Pritchard · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I am not fond of bees—I am one of those who has a very bad reaction to bee stings, I am fond of nonfiction. I love learning new things from nonfiction picture books and “Follow That Bee!” By Scot Ritchie is one of those. Five friends learn about how honeybees live when they visit their neighbor, Mr. Cardinal, including what honeybees like to eat—to the role of drones, queens, and worker bees—to the collection of the honey. My one disappointment with this picture book might be a bit picky. One of the friends notes “that it isn’t always easy to identify honeybees because other bugs—such as hornets, beetles and moths—can look similar” (p.20). Mr. Cardinal then “teaches the five friends how to spot a honeybee.” What disappointed me was there was no mention of how a bee is different from a hornet (or a beetle or a moth). Picky? Maybe. I enjoyed the digital illustrations, which to this untrained eye, looked like colored pencil and watercolor. I am also a fan of picture books that have a more complex structure. “Follow That Bee!” has a narrative describing the friends’ day with Mr. Cardinal, speech bubbles with their conversation, and factoids in bold text. Alongside these are signs (“No Pesticides please”), a labeled diagram of a bee, and a glossary at the end. In short, I like this book!

[Storytime With Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spring is here and with it comes the desire to be outside and enjoying the fresh air and greenery. Many of us will be thinking about cleaning up our backyards and planning our gardens. Before you do pick up a copy of Follow That Bee! A First Book of Bees in the City by Scot Ritchie to learn all about how we can protect the important pollinators we need to keep our ecosystem healthy and thriving.

If you live in a city as we do, it’s so important we make room for all of the other living things that need our spaces. Follow That Bee! Offers information about bees and how they turn the delicious nectar from a flower into the sweet honey we enjoy eating. Readers will also learn about bee identification, how to handle a bee sting and how to make a bee bath. The journey to learning about the bee follows a little story of five friends learning from Mr. Cardinal reads like a Magic School Bus adventure without the wacky Ms Frizzle.

The wonderful thing about this book is it will call children to action. Be prepared as after reading you will most likely have to plant bee friendly flowers, buy a beehive, and eat some honey on toast.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Cardinal has invited the 5 friends over to see his beehives and to learn about bees. The children learn how to make their community friendly for bees by planting wildflowers and not using harmful pesticides. They go to the garden center to choose plants the bees will like and learn about a pollinator garden. Mr. Cardinal shows them what the inside of a hive looks like, and tells them about the jobs of the workers, the queen and the drone. He even shows them how to collect the honey.

Scot Richie has written a wonderful primer on bees! It even covers what to do if you get a sting and how to make a bee bath. It's like a field trip to the country. Each section is only a 2 page spread. The illustrations are busy and fun so there are a lot of things to find, and lots of terrific information.

For this and more of my reviews, visit https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...

[Stephanie Bange · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent introduction to bees in an urban area.

The five children meet Mr. Cardinal and receive a cursory introduction about bees in a city setting.
First, I love that they are learning this from a man whose last name is a flower!

Each two-page spread covers a topic, ex. grow a garden, types of plants bees need, how bees pollinate, types of bees in a hive, etc. While he gives good information, however, he lacks very much in the way of details. He never tells the reader what specific type of bee this is - whether it is a honeybee or western honey bee, as they live in a community while most native bees are often solitary creatures. Most research has been done and is available about honeybees, with very little about other types like bumble bees, sweat bees, leaf-cutter bees, carpenter bees, etc.

Backmatter includes a glossary and suggested activity to encourage and support bees.

An additional title for PreSchool-grade 2.

[Theediscerning · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came to this not knowing it was a series of books, all exclamatory by title, concerning different topics. This one, despite starting with the weirdest idea, of the five heroes living in a model village where the school building comes up to their chest height, does stick to the nitty-gritty of what bees find popular and what they don't. So I ignored the awkwardness of one bloke spending so much time with five (trendily diverse) kids, and just sat back to learn what the young audience should be told about apiculture and suchlike. The end result was bitty, and simple, but actually did serve its purpose, although it wouldn't take anybody beyond the primer level of understanding. It's not bad, but I think more realism and science in the artwork would have helped. Three and a half stars.

[michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Follow that Bee! is an informative nonfiction picture book aimed at giving a lot of information to young children in an engaging way. In this book, 5 kids visit a local, urban bee-keeper. He gives them information about pollination, beehives, the different roles within a colony, and how they communicate. He also explains why the number of bees and hives are dwindling and what we can do about it. The book is full of interesting information and bright pictures with kids to help engage with younger readers. This is a great book when a class is studying bees.

* Thank you to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for a digital review copy of this book in return for an honest opinion.

[Augusta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book tells the story about five friends who learn a lot from they beekeeper neighbor. They learn about the life of bees and their roles in our ecosystem. The book addresses the fear that kids often have of bees. It also addresses many of the fascinating reason why kids should be curious and protective of bees. It gives plenty of ideas of how we can protect bees. I would use this book as part of a comprehension unit on the importance of bees. First kids would learn about pollination and the connection between bees and vegetables and fruits. Then I would address the danger that bees are facing and what they can do as active citizens to help save them.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an electronic ARC from Kids Can Press through NetGalley.
The five friends return in a story about bees. The author combines a story of a neighbor's garden and beehives with information text about bees.
The realistic illustrations show the reader what to look for in reality.
Simple to follow text helps young readers understand how important bees are to our world.
Glossary included at the end.
Use for a science lesson to introduce pollination, bees or environment.

[Amanda Sanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had informative and helpful and totally gross information. I love it. I might never eat honey again though. It talks about how bees live in the city and what each bee's job is. It tells readers what flowers bees need to survive and why we need bees. It gives useful warnings about pesticides and allergies and stings. It is useful for education, but it is also just entertaining to read.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars I love the information of this book. I think bee's are awesome.

The artwork, reminds of the 1980's. In fact when they pulled this book out to discuss it I thought "1980's called they want their book back" I can't put my finger on what book it reminds me of, but it might have a Quentin Blake feel, which is fine.

[Carmen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great non-fiction picture book about the importance of bees in the natural community and the things that we can do as individuals to help protect this very vital species of the animal kingdom. I like that the story element follows five children as they learn about bees and that it approaches topics like bee stings in a matter of fact way that will allow young readers to learn about bees.

[Tori Rumschlag · Rating 5 out of 5]

Follow That Bee!: A First Book of Bees in the City by Scot Ritchie is similar to These Bees Count! It is narrative nonfiction, telling the story of children visiting an urban apiary and how urbanites can contribute to bee health and prosperity. It is interesting because it bring the bee issue home, so to speak, rather than relegating it to a farm.

[Barbra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book takes an in-depth look at bees in an easy to read picture book. Children will learn how bees survive, their daily routines, and how to help provide them with just the right environment. An important book to share with young environmentalists.

[Margaret Keller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. I learned so much about bees in the city the how to help them. I like the text bubble from the kids on each page. The book followed a story line which keep my attrition and would really help kids follow the books.

[Lisa Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series by Scot Ritchie. This book talks about the importance of bees and what we can do to help them. Did you know bees can't see the colour red? Interesting.

[Karla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting non fiction for young children

Recommended first grade and up

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative but needs some additional end matter.

[Andréa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid and important information, the context is playful, but the text and illustrations are a little bland

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't realize that bees drink regular water too.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

An elementary and up book about a group of kids learning about bee keeping from a neighbor. Lots of nonfiction facts.

[Sandra Matthews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whoa! Bees can see red?
A fun and interesting read. Great illustrations. Very informative.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 friends get together and visit their neighbor, Mr Cardinal, who keeps bee hives. Mr Cardinal teaches the kids about bees, how to plant a garden that attracts and helps bees, and other basic information about honey bees.

This is what I’d call informational fiction. It’s got a little bit of a fictional story to provide a setting in which characters learn lots of factual information about a topic. It’ll be up to the library whether it is shelved in the fiction section or the nonfiction section. This one is more focused on the nonfiction facts than a story so I’d lean to putting it in nonfiction personally. It’s a great introduction to honeybees that provides lots of practical information about what bees need to thrive in a spot and produce honey. And it is presented with attractive illustrations and just the right amount of text for lower grade readers. Recommended to curious readers, readers thinking of starting to keep bees, young gardeners eager to plant a garden that helps the ecosystem, and of course, lower grade students studying bees.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[wvreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Relevant and interesting information on bees presented in an attractive format for young children.