The Little Book of Bees: An illustrated guide to the extraordinary lives of bees

by Hilary Kearney

A beautifully illustrated look at all things bee
 
Bees first appeared on Earth 270 million years ago. Since the time of the dinosaurs, evolution has taken our beloved bees on an incredible journey—today, there are 20,000 species on the planet. The Little Book of Bees is a lovely, informative book of all things bee—from evolution and communication to honey, bee-keeping, and saving the bees—all in a beautifully illustrated gift book. Bees continue to fascinate and charm us all—from novice gardeners and nature-lovers to dedicated environmentalists—and today, bees need our help more than ever. Discover the story of these incredible creatures with The Little Book of Bees.
 

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Science, Animals

224 pages, Hardcover

First published August 8, 2019

About the author

Hilary Kearney is the author of QueenSpotting and the creator of Girl Next Door Honey, a beekeeping business that offers educational opportunities to hundreds of new beekeepers each year. She maintains the blog Beekeeping Like A Girl and her writing on bees has appeared in Modern Farmer and Gritmagazines. Her work has been the subject of features in Huffington Post, Vogue, Mother Earth News, and other outlets. She rescues wild bee colonies and manages around 90 hives in her hometown of San Diego, California.

Reviews

[Miranda Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

With so many species of bees, even scientists can have trouble identifying them...they officially listed its genus and species as "bee cute furry face."

The above is just one of twenty thousand species of bees that populate our world - bees live on every continent (except Antartica) and play an extraordinary role in the ecosystem.

This little book of bees covers everything and anything you'd want to know - from the evolution:

...the first bee buzzed alongside a lumbering Stegosaurus...That's where the story of bees begins, one hundred and thirty million years ago...

to the quirky behaviors:

Pollen Pants
When collecting poll, bees mix the pollen with nectar to make it sticky and pliable...The effect is that the bee appears to be wearing a pair of pants made of pollen.

This book will take you on a journey!

All in all, if you can't already tell - I loved it. It's short, it's sweet and it's almost unbearably cute.

I've read a lot of animal books in my time and the one thing that always bugs me is how... clinical... those books sound.

Habitat. Diet. Phenotype. Rinse & Repeat.

And then I pick up Hilary's book, and right at the beginning, I read this gem:

A bee's most recognizable trait is its cuteness.

There's just something special about a book where you can absolutely tell that the author is just as excited as you are!

I loved all of the cool facts scattered throughout the book. Apparently there's a jar of honey uncovered from a crypt that's thousands of years old...and it's still good?? Are you kidding me?

The chapter about honey was so much fun to read - and yes, there IS more to do with honey than just eating it.

And the beekeeping section! Oh my gosh. It just killed me.

When the stings happen (and they will), beekeepers will tell you the best relief is swearing loudly.

I adored the illustrations that decorate nearly every page - they are absolutely charming and so well done. To see them was a delight!

My favorite part...was probably the dedication.

It's so wholesome that I can't even stand it!

Overall - if you (or your curious kiddo) want to learn more about bees, gardens and just about anything that involves a buzz - look no further! Highly recommended!!

With thanks to the author and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.


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[Astrid · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fantastic! It's a must have for anyone who wants to learn anything about bees, or just someone who wants an interesting book with lots of beautiful images. The drawings in this book are fabulous (so much so I sought out the illustrator to buy work from her). It's such a beautiful little book and I have zero regrets about buying it - my only lament is that there isn't more pages and illustrations! Buy it, you won't regret it.

[Agris Fakingsons · Rating 4 out of 5]

..lai gan no bitēm esmu tālu prom, jo neēdu pat medu, šī grāmata bija patiesi interesanta. es pat iedomājos, ka pie privātmājas būs jāsāk vairāk puķes audzēt, ķiršu koki utt. :) un ilustrācijas dod papildus zvaigzni šai mazajai grāmatiņai. :)

[Laura Ditke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ļoti, ļoti patika gan uzrakstītais, gan brīnišķīgās ilustrācijas. Pati gan neesmu biteniece, bet bites man ir ļoti mīļas un tuvas. Te lasot, iemīlēju tās vēl vairāk!

[A Broken Zebra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is easily one of my favourites; breathtaking artwork accompanies educational facts and a variety of ways in which one can make a difference. Written in a charming and approachable manner, I have to thank YouTuber, PayMoneyWubby for having Hilary on his stream, because I may not have heard about this little treasure otherwise.

Bonus, I pre-ordered mine autographed. :3

[Lauren (Cook's Books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was such a sweet little crash course on bees and how to help our fuzzy little sisters out. Catch me making a little garden on my windowsill.

Also character assassination for flies, the author said fuck fly rights

[Luna fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love bees and this gave me so many facts about bees also it has a lot of pages and the pictures are very cute.

[Noor G. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This could have been a cute little book but ultimately wasn’t very easy to follow or even useful. It was a weird mish mash of bee related quotes and facts that was hazardously organized without rhyme or reason. I suppose I should have gone into this book knowing it was essentially a coffee table type book but nonetheless, I am still judging it.

[Sandra Koka (pielasit_sirdi) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ja tādi vārdi kā kaltiņš, trani, spiets, facēlija, peru pieniņš, kāre, propoliss tev ir sveši, tad šī grāmata notiekti ir priekš tevis. Un noteikti tā būs lieliska dāvana zinātkāriem bērniem, lai uzzinātu vairāk par šo dabai tik svarīgo kukainīti.

Grāmata, protams, nepretendē uz akadēmisko izziņas literatūru, bet ir īsais ceļvedis bišu pasaulē, bet man kā uzaugušai vidē, kur bites ir ikdiena, pāris lietas nepalika nepamanītas.

* Autore min, ka medus var palīdzēt alerģijas mazināšanai, BET ne vārda nepiemin, ka medus pats par sevi var kādam izraisīt alerģiju.

*Autore min, cik veselīgi ir pagatavot ēdienus no medus, likt tējā un kafijā. Cik man zināms, vismaz apkārtējie cilvēki nesagaida, kad tēja atdzisīs pavisam, lai ieliktu karoti medus. BET. Medus pie attiecīgās temperatūras (+60grādi) zaudē visas savas labās īpašības un fermentus, un galu galā- izkarsējot to cepeškrāsnī pilnībā ne ar ko neatšķiras no cukura, kas ir bagāts ar kalorijām un padara saldo ēdienu saldu. Tā, ka par medus kūku kā "veselīgu" našķi vari aizmirst.


Un vēl, kas mani pārsteidza- ilustrāciju dublikācija...

Jebkurā gadījumā es baudīju vizuālo un teiktu, ka grāmata ir mīlīga.

[Gillian Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly adored this book. It’s not a long read but it’s an engaging and very necessary one. Amy Holliday’s illustrations provided gorgeous accents to what was ultimately an incredibly charming and informative book by bee-lady extraordinaire, Hillary Kearney.
From uses of honey to modern beekeeping and bee friendly garden practices, this little book has it all. It is in no way boring and is frequently punctuated with wonderful little tidbits of info I’ll immediately be adding to my arsenal of fun bee facts to pull out when conversations lull. I absolutely recommend The Little Book of Bees to anyone willing!

[Kendall Hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is amazing at introducing more than the average knowledge about bees of ALL kinds! I am a lover of bees and wanted to delve into some more knowledge to help them, learn about them, and observe them. We need to protect them and this has all sorts of ways we can. I am very glad about how informative, beautiful, and relaxing this book was! Will read MANY more times to keep my brain active about the bees :)

[Arnija · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ļoti laba grāmata cilvēkam, kuram ir interese par bitēm, bet vēl nav zināšanu. Vienkāršā un ērtā valodā aprakstīti pamatprincipi par un ap bitēm.
Uzzināju daudz interesantus faktus un apgāza arī kādus manus “mītus”.
Ļoti skaistas ilustrācijas!!

[Eva Alpaslana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Burvīgs, izglītojošs ceļvedis ar jaukām ilustrācijām! Iemīlēju bites vēl vairāk! 🐝

Forša dāvana dabas draugiem!

[Aquila · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very informative and beautifully illustrated! I learned so many cool things about bees and it has just fed my desire to learn more!

[Andrea Krafft · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautyfull book about bees with lovely illustrations. Perfect for bee lovers or everyone who wants to become one.

[Una Bērziņa - Pudule · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just love bees, man.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bees are the best! Sad to read about some older bees going bald from all the hard work they’ve done but plenty of remedies on offer these days, they could fly to Turkey easily enough

[Corina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and easy read to understand bees, beautiful drawings and colors. Loved it

[Sameel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I already like bees

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, very informative and easy to read! The illustrations are very pretty as well. A cute book for bee lovers and anyone who wants to know more about bees! It's very interesting and I'd definitely recommend reading this.

[AE · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really cute book with some nice starter info on bees, including biology/taxonomy, honey, beekeeping, and bee conservation. The art is cute and the format is easy to read.

It was a refreshing change from some of the other popular nonfiction I’ve read recently, by which I mean it was presented in a straightforward and factual way, (largely) without strongly subjective opinions or unrelated narcissistic anecdotes. I didn’t get the annoying vibe of “is this just a collection of unvalidated ideas” that I get with a lot of pop nonfiction.

That said there are a few cons:
- Almost all of the sections made me want more info! I don’t think the limits here are bad but it’s certainly very beginner and a very shallow dip into bee studies
- The ebook isn’t great due to formatting not translating super well from the hard copy. Most of it is still readable, but the bee anatomy diagram is tiny and (at least in Libby) you can’t zoom in.
- In the section about identifying bees, the author says some weirdly negative things about flies and wasps, which made that section feel oddly subjective
- The visuals all being drawings meant that I don’t have a great idea of how to identify bees in real life, as there aren’t any photos (although I recognize this is a personal preference)



Basically, a nice starter book with some bee facts! Don’t go in expecting a deep dive and you should get what it says on the tin.

[Nightwing · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has to be the cutest book I have ever read. I keep thinking i have read another one like this but I can not remember anything but the sci-fi books Linda gave and told me about.

Old neighbor friend in our book club let us barrow the book. She has her emboss twice in it and dated Nov 2019.

She loves bees. I am not not surprised she got the book and the author clearly loves them also. The identifying section makes it clear and if not then the beekeeping and protecting chapters would make it obvious.

I really liked idea of using honey in backing, cooking, and for a little extra energy.

The book has five chapters.
Story bees - how evolve and about them looks and all
Super organisms - the ones that give as a colony (surprisingly few)
Honey - about and how use
Beekeeping - yah how to start and what to do
Protecting - how to better garden and what to do to protect the bees

I loved learning so much and enjoyed the book a great deal. I never would have thought to pick the book up so I am happy my friend as so excited about the book and gave the suggesting to read.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun and informative little book about a subject I wouldn't of been all that interested in if it wasn't for the gorgeous drawings by Amy Holliday. I'm now inspired to attract all the native bees to my garden! I like how Kearney displays her attitudes towards bee superiority in the insect kingdom.

The one thing I didn't like was the welfareist approach she takes to beekeeping and how "responsible beekeeping is one of the best ways to save our bees". I believe that the best way to save our bees is to not breed bees for our own selfish honey-loving purposes all together. "Leave them bee" so to speak.

My fave bee is the oil bee with the massive forelegs, its beeautiful!

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating and beautiful book, full of accessible, informative facts highlighted with beautiful illustrations. The sections of text are short and easy to read, but full of information which is easy to follow, whether you're a bee enthusiast or you have just a passing interest in bees. There is information about supporting and protecting bees, and explaining a bit about their decline, but that doesn't dominate the book. The pages of bee facts are all interesting little tidbits. A gorgeous book, well worth keeping a copy to hand, even just to flick through for snippets and browse the illustrations!

[Ezran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man biškopība nekas nav bijusi aktuāla vai interesējusi, bet ieraudzīju bibliotēkā šo grāmatu un nolēmu izlasīt.
Uzzināju daudz jaunu faktu, kas lika vēl vairāk apbrīnot dabu un jo īpaši bites, kuras ir ļoti čaklas, un, izrādās, tām pat ir veselas stratēģijas, kā atrast barību un mājvietu, un valoda, ar kuras palīdzību par to tiek paziņots citām bitēm.
Mani patīkami pārsteidza krāšņās un skaistās ilustrācijas, kas padarīja lasīšanas procesu vēl jaukāku.

[Charlotte Biddle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute little intro to all things bees. Didn't know that only female bees sting and that makes die after mating. I liked the section on saving bees and uses of honey. I am obsessed with the illustrations. This book will make you want to be a beekeeper and have the illustrations as wallpaper. Only negative was the weird rant about flies and the order could have been better. I liked the bee facts pages but annoying when it disrupts a section/paragraph. 4.75 stars

[Rosabelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love bees, and this is definitely my new favorite book on bees. The Little Book of Bees is a delightful, relaxing, beautiful, fascinating, and educational read. It's hard to express express how much I enjoyed this book. I rationed it and dragged it out because I didn't want it to end--and now that I'm finished I'm ready to read it all again!

[Julianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book to read to my children, and it's a hit for the whole family. My husband will ask me questions about bees and ask me to read louder if he's in another room. There's a wealth of knowledge about bees, beautiful pictures, and the writing is very clear and easily understood. I love how my four year old will tell me about pollination now! This is an amazing book.

[Kara Paxton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not sure that I'm cut out to be a bee-keeper, but by golly, this book inspired me to at least take another look at my yard and try to do something to support these fascinating little critters. The art was absolutely gorgeous and I loved the little facts throughout the chapters. I learned so, so much about bees and I'm sure I'll revisit this book again in the future. Save the bees!

[Zac Gordon-Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Wonderful little book to spend an afternoon reading. The illustrations are gorgeous, and the knowledge inside is well informed and fascinating. I picked it up due to a recent interest in beekeeping, and thoroughly enjoyed learning about bees, however even if you don't want to keep bees, this book is still packed with little tips and tricks for looking after our furry friends!