Honey in a Hive 自然科学启蒙2：蜂房里的蜜蜂ISBN9780064452045

Grade 1-3–An appealing blend of smoothly written text andmeticulous color illustrations. Short blocks of large, easy-to-readprint, most of which are set on the backgrounds of picture spreads,briefly describe the functions of the queen, drones, and workers;some major physical and behavioral characteristics; the beecommunication dance; swarming; and the honey-making process. Therealistic, finely detailed paintings match the serene tone of thetext. Several spreads offer full-color views of bees foraging forfood in idyllic meadows, while others are close-ups of workers busyinside golden-hued hives. The book concludes with miscellaneousfacts about the insects and honey. The text omits some importantinformation. For instance, metamorphosis is not described, althoughseveral pictures include cross-sections of developing larvae andpupae within their wax cells, and a queen is shown laying an egg.There is little discussion of physical characteristics; however,the illustrations extend the text in this regard as well. JoyceMilton's Honeybees (Grosset & Dunlap, 2003) describes thestages of metamorphosis and discusses physical characteristics inmore detail, but its serviceable illustrations lack the visualdetail and technical skill of Schindler's work. Despite theomissions, Rockwell's book will be a useful addition to the subjectarea and a great read-aloud.–Karey Wehner, formerly at SanFrancisco Public Library Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division ofReed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Gr. 1-3. In this offering in the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Scienceseries, Rockwell discusses the behavior and life cycle ofhoneybees, with an emphasis on honey production. She explains howworkers and their queen live together in a hive, where the queenlays eggs and the workers make honey. She then describes thevarious roles of worker bees, how honey is made, and the process bywhich the queen forms a new community. Schindler's realisticartwork is both colorful and nicely matched to the text; however,without captions or labels it is sometimes difficult to discern thequeen from her workers. Appended with additional facts, thisattractive introduction to honey production will serve studentswell. Pair it with Deborah Heiligman's Honeybees (2002), which hasmore information about the bees themselves. Kay WeismanCopyright © American Library Association. All rightsreserved