Polly Bee Makes Honey

Polly Bee Makes Honey is the second title of a new non-fiction series aiming to help children understand and appreciate where their food comes from, and to be more environmentally aware.

A girl follows Polly the worker bee collecting pollen and nectar from various flowers, and bringing it back to the hive where it is stored in the honeycomb. We meet the queen bee and the drones, and finally see honey being harvested and enjoyed. Polly is shown in a relatable way, but the book is packed with information presented simply by an experienced children's author in consultation with a bee expert. There is a quiz and fun facts at the end, to challenge both young children and their parents to find out more about bees. There is a lesson plan and further fun resources on the website.

The simple, bold illustrations appealed to my Reception children and there was just the right amount of information to help them to understand how a jar of honey is produced. The story provides simple facts in an easy to understand way to help children to understand early on, where food is from. Reading it to the older Year 2 children has hopefully helped to raise their environmental awareness and has deepened their understanding about what bees do and what self sufficient members they are of the insect world. Their next plan is designing ways in which we can encourage more bees to visit our concrete playground.

Picture book / Reviewed by Samantha Hughes, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 3+