Tuesday 6 April 2021

The Very Clever Bee

The Very Clever Bee by Felicity Marshall (Propolis Publishing) HB RRP $28.99 ISBN 9780648253327

Reviewed by Nikki M Heath

Bees have been a hot topic in recent times, trending in fiction and non-fiction for children and adults. Visually stunning and packed with detail, The Very Clever Bee is a valuable contribution to the topic.

Marshall combines art and science to cover every aspect of the honeybee and its interaction with humanity, from biology to history, products to environment. Intricate, labelled diagrams and colourful full-spread paintings interchangeably intrigue and delight, while facts are interspersed with literary quotes.

The text is straightforward and easy to digest, broken into manageable portions by illustrations, quotes, fact boxes, and lists. Readers take away practical tips for living with and protecting bees, as well as information reaching beyond the run-of-the-mill. Although sections are clearly designated with headings, an index might have been a bonus to facilitate children looking to use the book as a resource for projects.

A one-stop source of information and inspiration about honeybees, primary school-aged children will enjoy poring over this book time and again. A treasure.

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