{10} Picture Books about Bees

We have a bit of a love hate relationship with bees around here.  We eat a lot of honey but then the boys are scared of getting stung.  And for good reason, one of them accidentally messed with a hive in our bushes last fall and ended up with ~10 bees on him at once.  I had to physically pull some of the bees off of him and now we are to assume he is allergic to them.  SO.  Their already iffy relationship with actual bees took a sharp turn south after that.  

I have a vivid memory of playing dead in our kiddie pool as a kid when bees came around because we reasoned that bees would sting if they thought you were dead?  I guess it wouldn't hurt you if you were dead but I'm not sure bees were, say, checking a pulse before stinging.  Kid logic I guess.  So I can't fault my boys too much for their fear.

As with anything, knowing more about something can help ease the fear and it's not too hard to stumble into some books about bees, we read quite a few without even trying (although I read much of what my sister reads her kids and she was reading quite a few bees books for about the same reasons I accidentally read them so...thanks, E!).  It was wonderful to learn about all the good bees do besides honey!

If you have kids who are scared of bees or like honey or interested in bugs or ever encounter bees in the great outdoors...here are some great books to learn more.

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Bees in the City by Andrea Cheng, illustrated by Sarah McMenemy
This is the rare picture book that Matt read aloud to the boys before I did (while I was driving on our June trip down south)!  About a boy living in Paris who visit his aunt's farm outside the city.  Her bees are dying and the boy figures out why - they need the variety and density of the plants in the city!  I was shocked by the note at the end that city bees are more productive than country bees!

Give Bees a Chance by Bethany Barton
We really enjoyed Bethany Barton's previous spider book so I was excited when I saw she gave bees a similar treatment.  Bees are important, as much as we'd all prefer to avoid getting stung!  It can be very helpful to know why we should give the bees a change!

The Bee Book by Charlotte Milner
I really liked the cover on this one and specifically remember putting it on the top of my library stack when I used to stack then horizontally.  This was one of the earlier "we should all love bees!" books we read and a good introduction to their benefits besides just honey.

The Thing about Bees: A Love Letter by Shabazz Larkin
This is a poem about bees, from a father to his two sons.  Not just about bees but also has the lovely message that the things we are afraid of might just be because we don't understand them.  Which is certainly the case for many of us with bees.

Kaia and the Bees by Maribeth Boelts, illustrated by Angela Dominguez
This is told as a story and not just facts about bees, which might be an easier way to start sharing the topic with kids.  Kaia is BRAVE but she is still scared of the bees her Dad keeps on the roof.  So she has to learn why they are important and have empathy for some of the smallest around us.

Bee: A Peek-Through Picture Book by Britta Teckentrup
We have really enjoyed these peek-through books by Britta Teckentrup (I had another one on this list!)  Gorgeous pictures and clever cut-outs to show how a bee might go around their day!

Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera by Candace Fleming, illustrated by Eric Rohmann
If you can't tell by the VERY scientific name in the title (which I am sure I pronounced perfectly when reading this to the boys), this is a much more science-y approach to a bee's life, particularly the very early stages.  We learned a lot except for how to pronounce the words.

If Bees Disappeared by Lily Williams
We LOVE this "If _____ Disappeared" animal series.  My kids wouldn't mind if bees disappeared, after they've both gotten stung.  HOWEVER, judging from the contents of their cereal bowls when I stepped away this morning...they ALSO really like honey SO...we need bees to stick around.  And they do A LOT of good besides the honey making.  I like seeing how a small animal can have such an impact. 

Bea's Bees by Katherine Pryor, illustrated by Ellie Peterson
Bea finds a nest of bees on her way to/from school but then one day the bees are gone.  Can she figure out why and how to bring them back??  She's going to try!  I love when kids take action like this, even if it's just fictionally.  Shows my kids they can make a difference.

Follow That Bee!: A First Book of Bees in the City by Scot Ritchie
I am really intrigued by this "bee in the city" concepts that have popped up in two of these books.  We live in the city-ish (not downtown but not the country either) and the thought of keeping bees in our small yard is a bit terrifying but it seems people do it (or just on roofs?  I need to reread some books.).  Even if we aren't going to be keeping bees, this does have other ways you can help bee populations.