Educator & family guide

The Bear and the Bee

By Marc Ladin · Illustrated by Victoria Rushton · Educa Vision · Grades PreK–2 [confirm]

About the book

A curious bear meets a bee and asks: is it hard to make honey — and could the bee show him how it's done? Their conversation becomes the start of a friendship, and a gentle first look at how bees and flowers work together.

Themes

Curiosity and asking questions · friendship · nature and pollinators · patience and hard work

Before reading

What do you already know about bears? About bees?
Where do you think honey comes from?

After reading

What question did the bear ask? Why was it a good question?
How did the bear and the bee become friends?
What is something you are curious about? Who could you ask?
Why are bees important to flowers, fruits and vegetables?

Bee science corner

Bees collect nectar from flowers and turn it into honey inside the hive.
While they visit flowers, bees carry pollen from flower to flower. This is called pollination, and it helps plants make fruits and seeds.
It takes many bees working together to fill a honeycomb — teamwork!

Activities

1. Question jar

Like the bear, write one question you have about nature on a slip of paper. Add it to a class jar and find answers together.

2. Flower-to-flower pollination game

Draw three flowers. Use a cotton ball "bee" dipped in a little chalk dust to visit each one, and watch the "pollen" move.

3. Draw and label a bee

draw your bee here — label the wings, stripes, legs and antennae