These Bees Count!

By Alison Formento and Sarah Snow

A 2013 Skipping Stones Honor Award Winner
A 2013 CBC/NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People

In this counting story, Mr. Tate's class takes a field trip to a bee farm and learns about bees and how they make honey.

How do bees count? The bees at the Busy Bee Farm buzz through the sky as one big swarm, fly over two waving dandelions, find three wild strawberries dripping tasty nectar…As the children in Mr. Tate's class listen, they learn how bees work to produce honey and make food and flowers grow. Bees count—they're important to us all. Alison Formento's gentle message is illustrated with Sarah Snow’s bright, realistic papercuts.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
• Release date: Feb 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9780807578698

Alison Formento

Alison Formento grew up in Arkansas and now lives in New Jersey with her family. She's climbed trees, camped under them, and planted some! Alison is also the author of These Bees Count! and These Rocks Count!

Book preview

Reviews for These Bees Count!

[kimjd_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Grades K-2

Mr. Tate's class, originally introduced in This Tree Counts (2010), is back. This time, they're taking a field trip to Busy Bee Farm, where Farmer Ellen introduces them to the world of beekeeping. As they tour the farm and dress in protective suits to get close to the apiaries, Farmer Ellen explains how beneficial bees are as they pollenate a wide variety of plants and crops. She also encourages the multi-ethnic group of children to really watch the bees and listen carefully, and as the children listen, they hear counting within the buzz of the bees-- TWO waving dandelions, THREE wild strawberries, FOUR apple blossoms, etc. The counting is rather incongruous with the rest of the story, but it does broaden the book's appeal to both teachers looking for number books and teachers wanting to supplement a science lesson. The author's note at the end is probably too detailed for the younger audiences towards whom the book seems to be aimed, but it gives teachers and parents abundant information about bees (including the recent outbreaks of colony collapse disorder) that they can share with students. Overall, an engaging introduction to the importance of honeybees, with a little counting thrown in for good measure.

[melodyreads · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

mish-mash of counting/science book. I wish it was one OR the other.