Bee & Me - Review and Book Giveaway

“We’re good for much more than just honey, you see, We bees help the flowers, the bushes and trees.” – Bee & Me by Elle J. McGuinness

Spring has finally arrived! The first signs of spring include the budding trees and flowers, birds, butterflies and the bees. It is easy to forget those busy little bees, the pollinators so important to crops, plants and trees. Some even regard the bee as a pest, scared of its sting. BUZZ, BUZZ. Here's an amazing bee book you must read!

The charming Bee & Me children’s book by Elle J. McGuinness strives to set the facts straight and helps kids appreciate the humble bee through rhyming verse and moving pictures. This fascinating bee book features an AniMotion™ Illustration Technique. Many of the illustrations magically move when you turn the pages. It is truly amazing to watch the bee fly.

In the story, a bee busily pollinates flowers until a dog chases it into a little boy’s home. Afraid of the bee, the boy hides. The misunderstood little bee cries and tells the boy that he shouldn’t be scared; bees only want to help humans. The final pages of the book list facts about bees and simple ways kids can help bees.

Just how important is the bee? The honeybee is the official state insect in seventeen states, including Wisconsin. Bees help us grow one-third of all the food we consume. However, in recent years an alarming problem called colony collapse threatens the bee's survival. Bee & Me teachs kids the ecological and environmental importance of the honeybee and instructs children to respect the remarkable insect. Younger children will learn from and enjoy the short rhyming verses. Young and old like will have a hard time setting this unique moving picture book down with it's colorful, eye-catching illustrations by Heather Brown. Even my one-year-old watches with fascination and wonder as the pictures move. This New York Times children's bestseller book is definitely worth a trip to the bookstore!

Bee & Me by by Elle J. McGuinness, illustrated by Heather Brown. Andrews McMeel Publishing (October 2008); 28 pages; ISBN 9780740777349

Bee links, activities, printables, lesson plans for children:
National Honey Board Educational Resources
Weekly Reader Plight of th Honeybee
thebestkidsbooksite.com Bee Storytime Materials
First-School.ws Preschool Activities & Crafts: Bees - Bumblebees
PBS Nature Silence of the Bees episode
BeeSource.com - Online Sourcebook for Beekeeping
Bee Culture: The Magazine of American Beekeeping
Selecting Plants for Pollinators – Free eco-regional planting guides
National Honey Board Honey Locator

Win a copy! Andrews McMeel Publishing has kindly offered to give away one (1) copy of Bee & Me to a Brimful Curiosities reader.

To enter, visit Andrews McMeel Publishing - Kids Products and leave a comment naming the title of another book for kids available on the website.

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• Contest is open to US and Canada only
• Contest ends on Monday, April 6th, 2009 at 11:59 PM CST.
• Winner will be chosen at random

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