DO YOU SPEAK BEE?

Chubak’s meticulously organized guide covers everything readers could want to know about the intricate world of honeybees.

The author briskly but thoroughly walks readers through the world of honeybees, beginning with their life stages, kingdom classification, and the functions of various hormone glands. All vocabulary words—such as entomologists and haploid—are in bold, and each section is short in length and includes bite-sized information nuggets: “When multiple queen sisters are raised in a hive, they can fight for sole dominance of the colony. This royal battle is announced by the queens with an audible sound called piping, tooting, or bugling. It may sound like a chirp from the outside of the hive. After the battle, only one queen will remain in the hive and be accepted by the colony.” The book is broken down into six broad categories: “The Honey Bee Colony,” “The World of the Queen Bee,” “The Amazing Worker Bee: Activity in the Brood Nest Nursery,” “Worker Bees’ Jobs Inside the Hive but Outside of the Brood Nest,” “Field Bees,” and “Drone: The Mating Specialist.” Each section then focuses on the individual bees that inhabit that category. Evans’ plentiful illustrations feature colorful foregrounds with black-and-white backgrounds for tongue-in-cheek interpretations of the different bee types, including a worker bee clocking in to a factory and a drone bee holding a college pennant in front of a frat house. The book’s last section, “Activities & Famous Bees,” puzzlingly does not include any activities, and readers may find themselves wishing for a condensed index of vocabulary words. The prose is rather clipped, which often makes understanding the book’s truly fascinating information easier. (Drone bees only have one set of chromosomes! Bees use plant resin for medicinal purposes!) The sheer amount of information the book includes is staggering, while Chubak’s straightforward tone will likely appeal to kids and adults alike.

A whimsically illustrated and informative guide that will turn readers into bee experts.