Book One of Nature's Li'l Samaritans children's series. The Carpenter Bee, told in verse, recounts a parent and child’s extraordinary encounter with the unknown. Based on a true story and an allegory, the tale promotes understanding of the interconnectedness of all living things, while encouraging a sense of mutual responsibility and community. Beautiful illustrations and photographs accompany what will undoubtedly grow to be a childhood treasure among books. Will also encourage library exploration and vocabulary development. Trace and color section at book’s end includes several of the most beautiful carpenter bees. Glossary included.
The text, though, at times works against the book’s lofty aims, with stilted and overly formal lines that limit its communicative and educational power. Sometimes the text obscures basic meaning in awkwardly constructed sentences: “A cardboard ride we gave it then / to a backyard bush for shade./ A small lid with water there / we rested where it lay.” The glossary found at the end of the book is dedicated not to anything science or insect related but to defining some of the words (retreated/depleted) deployed to make the rhymes work.
What The Carpenter Bee excels at is showing multiple species of carpenter bees up close and personal, alongside warm and sunny images of happy children and flowers, acquainting young readers with the life and work of an often misunderstood insect. Fun and lively trace and color pages are also included at the end of the book to further kids’ connection to carpenter bees and aid in their identification. Best suited as an introduction to bees or a supplement to a more comprehensive and informative book, The Carpenter Bee’s message doesn’t always quite land, but does well at exposing readers to various bee species.
Takeaway: Rhyming celebration of carpenter bees for young readers.
Comparable Titles: QED’s It Starts With a Bee, Alex G. Griffiths’s The Bug Collector.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A-
Editing: B
Marketing copy: A-
A little girl and her mom were in the house garden. They saw a scary-looking bee, so they ran inside the house. After some hours, they saw through the window the bee was still lying there. They were confused, so the duo inspected and noticed it was injured. They helped it with some shade and water. Did the bee survive?
We picked this book for its bee theme. The story, narrated in a rhyming style, is backed by photographs of a carpenter bee. Younger kids might require adult help to read and understand some words. The book also encourages children to watch nature closely and learn more about nature’s encounters through library visits.
The Carpenter Bee by Kirsten L. Marie is the story of compassion for living beings of all sizes and understanding and appreciating their roles in our lives.
Rating basis (of 5.0): Story (4.0), Characters (4.5) Writing Style (4.0), Illustrations (3.0) & Ease (3.5)
