Are You a Bee? (Backyard Books)
#3 of 10 in Up The Garden Path / Backyard Books Series
What’s inside...
A juvenile bee faces many challenges as it takes its place in the hive and joins in the work of the bee community. The book 'Are you a Bee?' by Judy Allen and illustrator Tudor Humphries introduces children to a day in the life of a bee, blending science, language arts, literature, and art. Allen, a Whitbread Children's Award winner, uses this book to introduce children to the natural world. The book is published in Traditional Chinese and is distributed by Tsai Fong Books, Inc.
Discussion points
What do you think it would be like to be a bee for a day?
How do bees help our environment? Can you think of other creatures that help the Earth?
Why is teamwork important among bees, and how can we apply teamwork in our daily lives?
What's your favorite part of a bee's life cycle that you learned from the book?
If you could ask a bee any question, what would it be?
Tip: Role play these questions
Encourage your child to imagine and express their thoughts vividly. Listen actively to their ideas and build on them with further questions or a shared activity, such as drawing a bee or a garden.
Before turning the page, ask your child to guess what might happen next to the bee, fostering their prediction skills.
Relate the bee's actions or experiences in the book to real-life scenarios in your child's environment, linking the story to familiar settings or situations.
Discuss the teamwork shown by the bees and relate it to family or friend activities that require collaboration and cooperation, emphasizing the value of working together.
Help your child understand the importance of bees and other pollinators, and discuss simple ways your family can help protect and support local wildlife.
Key lessons
Example Lesson: Understanding biodiversity
Explanation: The book educates children about the role of bees in our ecosystem, highlighting their functions and the importance of every creature, no matter how small.
Real-World Application: Children learn to appreciate and care for all types of living beings, fostering a sense of responsibility towards maintaining biodiversity.
Example Lesson: The significance of teamwork
Explanation: Through the depiction of bees working together in the hive, the story illustrates the importance of cooperation and how collective effort leads to success.
Real-World Application: Children can apply this understanding of teamwork in collaborative tasks at school or during play, learning the value of working with others to achieve common goals.
Example Lesson: Lifecycles and growth
Explanation: The book follows the journey of a bee from its early stages to maturity, teaching children about growth processes in nature.
Real-World Application: This can help children understand their own growth and development, promoting patience and confidence as they learn about natural cycles of life.
Example Lesson: Curiosity and learning
Explanation: By posing the question, 'Are you a bee?', the book encourages children to explore and inquire about the natural world.
Real-World Application: This stimulates curiosity and exploration in children, encouraging them to ask questions and seek knowledge about their surroundings and beyond.
Example Lesson: Empathy for living creatures
Explanation: The narrative perspective of the book allows children to see the world through the eyes of a bee, fostering empathy and understanding for different life forms.
Real-World Application: This lesson helps children develop empathy, teaching them to be considerate and comprehend the perspectives of others, including animals.