Bruno the Beekeeper: A Honey Primer

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.

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.

Bruno the bear keeps bees in this Czech import. Holasová weaves Bruno's activities with his bees in and around a bounty of information about honeybees and their keeping...There is a surprising amount of technical information conveyed in this gentle book; children familiar with beekeeping will recognize the activities depicted, and explanations are both accurate and friendly to children who are not. There is humor in the near-constant cloud of bees around Bruno's head as he works, and beauty as well in lovely botanical watercolors...Utterly bee-guiling.
—Kirkus Reviews

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.
—School Library Journal

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. . .this should capture the interest of young apiarists.
—Publishers Weekly

In a cozy work of narrative nonfiction, Aneta Frantiska Holasová lays out the traditional method of maintaining honey-producers in 'Bruno the Beekeeper' (Candlewick, 80 pages, $19.99), a picture book translated from the Czech by Andrew Lass. The color scheme here is earthy, being composed of the browns and golds you would expect from a story involving a bear—the beekeeper, Bruno—and the tiny winged occupants of the stacked wooden hives that he manages through the seasons.
—The Wall Street Journal