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  • Bruno the Beekeeper: A Honey Primer

Bruno the Beekeeper: A Honey Primer

Illustrator
Aneta Frantiska Holasová
Publication Date
March 02, 2021
Genre / Grade Band
Non-fiction /  4th − 5th
Language
English
Bruno the Beekeeper: A Honey Primer

Currently out of stock
Description
Follow a beekeeping bear through the seasons--and learn about the life cycle and ecology of bees--in this folksy step-by-step guide to caring for hives and harvesting honey. With glowing, honey-hued illustrations and friendly text, this homespun year-in-the-life of a busy beekeeper and his bees is a definitive picture book primer--whether for families contemplating a new hobby or for readers just curious to know how bees make honey. Follow Bruno the bear through the seasons, beginning in late summer, as he demonstrates how he keeps his bees healthy and happy, from housing and maintaining the hive to harvesting honey and beeswax. Learn the anatomy and life cycle of bees, the difference between workers and queens, what flowers bees pollinate, and what predators they avoid. Gracefully translated from the original Czech--and paired with charming folk-style art that evokes the rural setting and cozy kitchen of a blended beekeeping family (complete with Grandma's recipe for homemade honey-gingerbread cookies)--this charming ode to sustainability and fostering nature's small wonders will delight readers of every stripe.
Publication date
March 02, 2021
Genre
Non-fiction
ISBN-13
9781536214611
Publisher
Candlewick Press (MA)
BISAC categories
JNF003120 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Animals | Insects, Spiders, etc.
JNF051020 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Technology | Agriculture
JNF032000 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Lifestyles | Country Life
Library of Congress categories
Bears
Bee culture

School Library Journal

Gr 2-5--This title presents interesting facts and illustrations about bees (worker bees, drones, and queen bees), the steps involved in the metamorphosis from egg to fully developed bee, the body parts of bees, and the life cycle of each type of bee. For example, a worker bee dies after 40 days. There is also information about caring for the hive during each of the four seasons. Yet there is a strange disconnect here too, as the scientific explanations are mixed with the story of Bruno the beekeeper, who happens to be a bear, and his grandmother and grandfather, who are humans. Grandma is depicted as a blonde woman with light skin. The text also mentions baby bears but does not include further details about this surprising situation. Bruno, despite his appearance, acts like a person since he sleeps in a bed, reads stories, and makes tea. There is also a disconnect between the words and illustrations as Bruno is shown fully clothed and wearing protective gear, but the text states that because he is a bear and has a thick fur coat, he doesn't need this protective suit. VERDICT This is a possible addition to books used in a classroom study of bees, but the fictional narrative serves a questionable purpose.--Myra Zarnowski, City Univ. of New York

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Publishers Weekly

Bruno, a patient, golden-colored anthropomorphic bear, handles his beehives with great care in this narrative vehicle for a compendium of bee lore, with sufficient descriptions of beekeeping, equipment, bee behavior, and biology to serve as a capable resource. Bee facts alternate with honey-washed, sepia-inked sections featuring Bruno, who, Holasová says, "enjoyed a carefree life filled with mischief and fun" as a cub before inheriting his grandfather's bees. After careful study, Bruno and his grandmother, who makes candles from honeycombs and helps with chores, have become diligent workers--the counterparts of their bees. Each section is illustrated distinctively: the life cycles of workers, drones, and queens are painted in loose lines; bee species are portrayed with photographic precision; and anatomical diagrams are presented in chalklike lines, though the queen, whose ovaries, vagina, and sperm sac are all labeled, is strangely more detailed than the drones, which only bear the label "reproductive organs." Holasová's unusual blend of storytelling and fact feels oddly meshed, but this should capture the interest of young apiarists. Ages 7-10. (Mar.)

Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.
Aneta Frantiska Holasová
Aneta Frantiska Holasová studied illustration and graphics at the University of West Bohemia in the Czech Republic. She is the author-illustrator of several books and has had her work featured in Raketa magazine. Bruno the Beekeeper (originally titled Lumir vcelari) is her English-language debut. Aneta Frantiska Holasová lives in the Czech Republic.

Andrew Lass was born in New York City and grew up in Prague. He is a scholar, poet, fine art photographer, graphic artist, and translator and was the Ford Foundation Professor of Anthropology at Mount Holyoke College. He lives in Massachusetts.