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The Bees

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Down in the garden beyond the apple trees, is a fading blue hive, full of busy bees... Join the bees down in the garden on a day of fun, danger and adventure in this beautifully illustrated picture book. With a whimsical story and crisp, original illustrations, this is a story your children will want to read again and again.

22 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 29, 2015

293 people are currently reading
558 people want to read

About the author

D.C. Swain

24 books5 followers
DC Swain is the author of several childrens books, including the popular Down in the Garden, How High Will It Fly? and Freddie Figg series.

He believes in creating stories that keep children engaged, while teaching simple life lessons. He has collaborated with illustrators from around the globe and only publishes stories that get his daughters' seal of approval.

He lives in a state of permanent chaos with his wife, daughters and the real-life Oakley and Bella.

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Community Reviews

5 stars
245 (41%)
4 stars
179 (29%)
3 stars
114 (19%)
2 stars
35 (5%)
1 star
24 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
Profile Image for Briar's Reviews.
2,322 reviews579 followers
November 23, 2020
This story is full of soft, warm colours that was really nice on the eyes. The colours really complimented the sweet material written by D.C. Swain.

Some of the pictures are full pages, while others are only part of the page. It felt unique seeing the different styles, and I think it worked and didn't feel out of place. One page was the written words while the next was the complimenting picture. I think the bees were really cute and really well drawn.

There is a rhyming scheme that works really well within the story. It felt like something I could sing along to, or make a song up for.

The moral of this story seemed to be all about bees! I know I was scared of them as a kid, and never was calmed of that worry. A book like this would have made me feel a bit more comfortable around the buzzing creates.

I'd definitely recommend picking this book up as a spring or summer read for the kidlets! It's cute, fun and full of pretty pictures! It would be especially nice for those kids that are scared of bees or animals. It's a definite children's must read from this reviewer!

Five out of five stars!

I found this book via BookBub!
Profile Image for Mackey.
1,268 reviews357 followers
April 4, 2020
I know many parents of young children are struggling to find interesting and hopefully educational activities to keep them occupied so today I'm sharing a book for Toddlers and Pre-Schoolers that is FREE at Amazon!

The Bees is a darling, rhyming book that describes in both verse and gorgeous illustrations about the day in the life of the bee. From gathering pollen to drinking nectar, children will see how busy these little bees work and also, hopefully, see that there is no reason to fear them. The Bees is a short tale that is fun to read aloud and, best of all,free. If you have young children, I'm sure this is something you both will enjoy reading.
Profile Image for Brittany Lee.
Author 2 books133 followers
June 28, 2020
Cute and Whimsical
Do you have busy little bees at home?

This watercolor illustrated children’s book was cute and whimsical! Each page rhymed about the bees down in the garden, defending their hive, in an adorable way, not a cheesy or forced manner.

I think younger children will enjoy interacting with this short story and learning about the busy little bees.

This was book 1 of 3, with each book introducing a different animal.

I downloaded this e-book while it was available for free on Amazon. I was under no obligation to write a review, my honest opinion is given freely.
Profile Image for Somia.
2,076 reviews171 followers
March 23, 2020
3 Easy & Light Stars

A cute picture book about the garden life of bees, it is a tad short even for a kids book but a nice quick rhyming read.

Freebie on amazon.
Profile Image for Tyler Gray.
Author 6 books276 followers
August 26, 2018
Sweet little children's story about bees. The words had a rhyming style that made me want to sing it and the pictures were cute.
Profile Image for Kathy Heare Watts.
6,985 reviews175 followers
April 27, 2018
This is a simple but sweet story about honey bees for small children. The illustrations are colorful and cute and the verses are rhyming. It can be a learning tool to explain to young children how bees are beneficial to flowers and pollination.
Profile Image for Irene.
457 reviews112 followers
October 11, 2016
Cute

Cute little story about the beea with really nice illustrations. Written in rhymes makes for a quicker read. Can recommend this for smaller kids.
Profile Image for Rose English.
Author 22 books183 followers
December 26, 2018
Book 49 of my Goodreads Challenge

A beautiful little picture book in rhythm and rhyme. All about bees collecting honey and having a jolly good time.
Profile Image for Erika.
166 reviews1 follower
June 29, 2018
Wish I learned more about the bees.
Profile Image for La Coccinelle.
2,259 reviews3,568 followers
September 8, 2020
This is a rhyming picture book about bees. It's not so much a story as it is a highly fictionalized "day in the life" of some bees. The pictures are cute and the meter is not so terrible as to be off-putting (although it isn't great). Young children might enjoy this one if they're curious about bees.
Profile Image for Mimia The Reader.
453 reviews12 followers
June 14, 2018
Sweet book, really cute illustrations and a great introduction to how the bees work.
Recommended
Profile Image for jazzmin.
115 reviews
June 11, 2018
Cute and Quick

This is one of the first children's books I've read on my kindle . Literally took me no time to get into. I really enjoyed the illustrations. A great story for children.
10 reviews2 followers
June 5, 2018
Very cute

for very young audiences. Not very educational but a great introduction to bees . Very cute illustrations and rhyme scheme.
Profile Image for Susan Barton.
Author 6 books94 followers
September 2, 2015
I chose this book because of the lovely cover art and because I adore children's books. This is a cute little story of the busy lives of bees. This can definitely be used as a stepping-stone to teach children how important bees are to our ecosystem. The book is rated for small children up to age 5 and as a parent, grandparent and former preschool teacher I'm certain it will entertain and hold the attention of little ones.

The illustrations are gorgeous, colorful and whimsical. The book is written in rhyme and in my experience with small children this is always a hit. I would recommend this sweet book for anyone who wants to share a quick and adorable story of the life of bees with children.
Profile Image for R.J..
Author 4 books79 followers
October 25, 2016
The Bees is an absolutely adorable rhyming book that put a smile on my face as I read it. The pictures are sweet, simple, remind me very much of Beatrix Potter, and honestly would look lovely framed for decoration.

It follows and illustrates the daily routines of a particular hive of bees in their quest to make honey. The rhyming is well paced, well thought out, and matches the pictures quite perfectly. Just as the synopsis says, “this is a story your children will want to read again and again”!

I rate The Bees (Down in the Garden book 1) 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it highly!

This review was originally published on Literature Approved (http://literatureapproved.wordpress.com)
Profile Image for Angela Lambkin.
2,354 reviews27 followers
September 16, 2015
What a wonderful and exciting ebook about our bees' lives!

I found to be a very interesting, fun and great learning ebook with beautiful illustrations and nice sized print too! I would recommend for kids from 0-5 yrs. old or in grades P-2; who loves to learn new and interesting facts such as bees. For these reasons I have decided to give this five stars. I received this ebook for free and here is my honest review. Great job D.C.! By Angela
Profile Image for Carolyn Injoy.
1,240 reviews147 followers
February 10, 2016
The Bees, Down in The Garden Book One by DC Swain I received a free kindle copy of The Bees, Down in The Garden Book One by DC Swain With Anna Bonita in an Amazon promotion in exchange for a fair review.I gave this cleverly written rhyming children's book five stars. My favorite little boy loved the illustrations that went with the bee's activities.I recommend this for parents, grandparents, beginning readers, librarians & teachers.
Profile Image for Eileen Carter.
2,078 reviews9 followers
October 5, 2016
DC Swain has written a story that is easy to read, which will allow beginning readers to enjoy this story independently. The story gives the facts about honey bees in a fun way that children will enjoy and remember without realizing they are learning something. The illustrations are cute and colorful which will hold the youngest of readers attention.
Teachers will enjoy this book as they can use it as an added resource when teaching about the life cycle and job of a honey bee.
Profile Image for Joy.
1,591 reviews11 followers
September 19, 2015
This book is one of those fiction books that is right on the line with nonfiction. I could totally use this in preK or kindergarten to introduce the subject of bees.

The book talks about a day in a honeybee hive, with workers going out to collect honey and also defending their hive from possible problems. The illustrations are great.
Profile Image for Julie Barrett.
9,228 reviews206 followers
September 30, 2015
The Bees (Down in the Garden Book 1)
Colorful children's book about how bees work, especially in the garden and why they are important.
Story follows the bees throughout the day from the time they get up to the time they go to bed.
Other works by the author are highlighted at the end.
Profile Image for Stacey.
1,019 reviews
October 10, 2016
For the young toddler or child who is fascinated by nature, this story gives a sweet visual of what bees do using pretty watercolor artwork and rhyming verse. This story worked very well on my kindle with the artwork on one page followed by the verse on the next.
Profile Image for Medeia Sharif.
Author 19 books458 followers
September 1, 2015
This is a cute picture book detailing the activities of bees and the illustrations are precious. I don't read many picture books, but I couldn't resist when I saw this in a BookBub email.
Profile Image for alliereadsTLH.
182 reviews
September 24, 2015
At first I thought this book was too easy for my son but he loved this. The rhymes were just enough right before bed. I loved the illustrations of the book too.
Would read to my son again.
Profile Image for Devon.
306 reviews2 followers
October 4, 2015
Cute

This is a sweet book. My 2 and 4 yr olds enjoyed it. The illustrations are adorable and it gives young kids a basic idea of bees gathering pollen to make honey.
Profile Image for Crystal.
79 reviews1 follower
October 22, 2015
Adorable bedtime story

I saw this book and figured it had to be cute it's a great bedtime story for a baby or tot. The illustrations are beautiful as well
Profile Image for Sammy Bell.
245 reviews1 follower
May 2, 2018
I don’t normally download kids books but this one was about bees so I had too!! Lovely illustrations and a sweet little story, I loved it!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews

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