h"Buzz ... kaboom! Some wild bees can
tighten their muscles to make vibrations
strong enough to travel through their soft
bodies and into a nearby flower. When the
bee buzzes hard enough, it creates a small
explosion of pollen from the flower. Some
plants - such as blueberries, kiwis,
potatoes, and eggplants - need buzz
pollination to grow."
Who knew? I certainly didn't have any idea about the number of bee species there are in the world. Like many people, I assumed that bees were mostly honeybees ... they are the ones most familiar to me. In fact, they make up a small number. It is wild bees that comprise 90% of the bees on earth.
Who are these bees? Kira Vermond is happy to share her research with us, and the knowledge she has gained about them. The table of contents reveals what readers have in store for them once they open this very informative and carefully designed book for the middle grades. Each new section provides evidence for their presence across the world, their differences, and their positive effect on the many ways they impact our lives.
Wild solitary bees, such as carpenter bees, sweat bees, diggers and others do not swarm and they rarely use their stingers. They are the main pollinators for many foods. So many truly remarkable facts are shared in accessible text, text boxes, humor, and include threats to their existence. Ms. Vermond offers ways in which humans can help to maintain their numbers, and help to do the right thing in home gardens and communities.
June Steube's realistic and natural surroundings add appeal at every turn. The front endpapers offer close looks at many types of wild bees, while at the back each is named. After reading this book and taking a close look at the variety in scenes, readers will not be so quick to identify all bees as the ones that are the most familiar. As I have said many times before, I am constantly awed by what I learn from reading books specifically written for kids. They have so much to offer each one of us.
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