The Bumblebee Garden

Ben is in the garden with his grandfather. The year is coming to an end, winter is on its way, and a fat bumblebee is buzzing by. When Ben wonders where it is going, Grandpa tells him the queen bumblebee will find a nest in the ground. There, in the spring, Ben learns, she will lay her eggs and feed her larva pollen from flowers. As bees collect pollen, they also spread pollen from one plant to another, allowing the flowers to turn to fruit, feeding us. The larva, after being fed, spin cocoons, where they will, over time, become bees. Ben wants to know if they can do something to help the bumblebees since they help to feed people. Grandpa is happy to show Ben the way.

Dawn Casey (author) and Stella Lim (illustrator) have created a beautiful picture book to help young readers understand the importance of bees to all of us in creating fresh produce for people to eat, and to show children how simple it is for them to support helpful insects as they pollinate plants that bring us food. The text is conversational and easy to understand. The illustrations beautifully support the text.