Product Description

How sweet it is. Thousands of bees visited more than one million flowers to gather the nectar that went into that one-pound jar of honey. Here's the buzz on how these remarkable insects work together to create this amazing food.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #32513 in Books
• Published on: 2000-04
• Released on: 2000-04-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2. Gibbons describes the physical characteristics of the honeybee and the hive, the types of bees and their jobs, reproduction and growth, the process of making honey, and the role of humans in harvesting it. Pictures and diagrams, in the artist's characteristic flat style, add information that is not always included in the text. Terms such as "beemilk" and "proboscis" are defined only in pictures. Other terms, such as larva and pupa, are not defined at all. Two final sections offer a monthly diary of bee activities and a list of miscellaneous facts. Joanna Cole's The Magic School Bus: Inside a Beehive (Scholastic, 1996) covers this fascinating subject with more verve and appeal. For older readers, Heiderose and Andreas Fischer-Nagel's Life of the Honeybee (Carolrhoda, 1986) offers detailed photographs. Nonetheless, The Honey Makers presents the facts in a straightforward fashion and is therefore a serviceable addition.?Kathleen Odean, Moses Brown School, Providence, RI
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 1^-4. The author introduces young readers to honeybees and bee culture in this informative picture book. She explains the organization of a hive, the life cycle of these social insects, and typical beekeeping practices. Of particular note are the sections on making honey (nectar is passed by mouth back and forth until it becomes drier and thicker) and the functions of adult worker bees (whose job descriptions progress from housekeeper to nurse to wax maker to guard to forager)--details not often included in books for this age group. Gibbons' signature full-color artwork makes each page a visual delight, and numerous inset captions and labels add to the wealth of knowledge found in the text. Appended with a beekeeper's monthly diary and a list of additional facts, this will be welcomed by report writers and browsers alike. Kay Weisman

From Kirkus Reviews
Although most folks buy it in a simple jar, honey is nothing short of miraculous in the way it is manufactured--bees use nectar from over a million flowers just to make one pound of the stuff. It's that kind of fact that pops up frequently as Gibbons (Country Fair, 1994, etc.) investigates the lives of these industrious ``manufacturers'' and their relationship to humans through beekeeping. She follows a worker bee from birth through its many jobs: house bee, nurse, wax maker, guard, and forager. Queens, drones, and life within the hive are all covered in detail. Outside the hive, the beekeepers are busy, too, setting up the hive, maintaining it, and collecting and processing the honey. Gibbons includes sample pages for each month from a beekeeper's diary--even in the cold months of December and January, there is work to be done. Bright pictures back up the text in a slightly looser--still highly detailed--line than is Gibbons's typical style. She incorporates some of the clich‚s about bees into the book, giving real meaning to beeline and busy as a bee. A final page rounds up some random tidbits, covering everything from stings to honey flavors. Bee-utiful. (Picture book/nonfiction. 5+) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Customer Reviews

UN- BEE -T-ABLE SAVE THE BEES!!!
THIS BOOK IS PRICELESS! SHOWS SO VERY MUCH INDEED WITHOUT BEING BOARING OR SCARY (COLORFUL DRAWING TYPE PICs) OUR SONS READ IT TO EACH OTHER A FEW TIMES! WE ALSO HAVE GAIL GIBBONS FROG BOOK!
IF YOUR WILDLIFE WARRIORS THESE BOOKS SHOULD BE PART OF YOUR COLLECTION
AS WELL..... SAVE THE BEEs!!! HAAGEN DIAZ ICE CREAM HAS A FUND FOR BEE AIDE WITH A FLAVOUR CALLED: VANILLA HONEYBEE IN SUPERMARKETS
PLANT SUNFLOWERS DONT USE CHEMICAL BUG KILLERS (BEES ARE ENDANGERED)

The Honey Makers
This is an excellent book reviewing the basics of bee anatomy and the honey making process, not only for children but also for novice beekeepers. Beautiful illustrations as well.

a big help for a vacation bible school mission project
The book was suggested as a good resource for honey bee information for children. A daily talk with the children using this book and other sources was very helpful. On the last day, I drew a name from all those attending and gave the book to a [...]. It was a big hit!