About the Holiday
Sponsored by the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas, an “internationally recognized botanic garden dedicated to inspiring the conservation of native plants in natural and designed landscapes,” today’s holiday celebrates the wildflowers that beautify the country from coast to coast. Lady Bird Johnson once said wildflowers “give us a sense of where we are in this great land of ours” as every area hosts its own particular flowers. Wildflower fields are important to the survival of the bee population, and, as pollinators, bees keep the wildflowers blooming and growing.
Bee: A Peek-Through Picture Book
By Britta Teckentrup
As the sun comes up over the meadow of poppies, a bee gets ready for her day. She flits through the forest, blending her quiet buzz with the songs of the birds in the trees. “As she travels here and there, / A gentle humming fills the air.” With no map to guide her, the bee knows exactly what route to take to visit each colorful flower. “Gathering nectar as she goes, / From every foxglove, every rose, / Dusty with pollen, the little bee / Buzzes, buzzes, busily.”
Copyright Britta Teckentrup, 2017, courtesy of Random House Books for Young Readers
The flowers attract the little bee with their sweet perfume, and with the sun as her compass, she finds them all. As she flies from flower to flower, tree to tree, she picks up and leaves bits of pollen that will create more blossoms. But when she looks out over the field, the bee sees more flowers than she could ever hope to visit. The bee hurries back to her hive to tell the others about the smorgasbord waiting for them.
Copyright Britta Teckentrup, 2017, courtesy of Random House Books for Young Readers
In droves they leave the hive, gliding over a pond, navigating an orchard, and continuing on. “The bees pass over a woodland stream. / Droplets sparkle and pebbles gleam. / Water trickles, bubbles, and weaves. / A weeping willow trails its leaves.” As the bees stop here and there along the way, they give life to new flowers and plants, expanding the wildflower meadow that is home to so many creatures.
Copyright Britta Teckentrup, 2017, courtesy of Random House Books for Young Readers
Readers can see that Britta Teckentrup’s beautiful tribute to bees is something special before they even open the book. On the cover, a sunset-hued flower stretches into the blue sky. Through its die-cut center, children can see the complexity of the flower and, in its very middle, a honey bee harvesting nectar. Teckentrup’s lyrical story of a bee’s day is complemented by gorgeous illustrations of the vibrant wildflowers that call to the little bee. Each page is rendered in a breathtaking palette that surrounds young readers with the mysteries of the natural world—and in the center is the bee, going about her job as squirrels scamper, deer silently look on, and butterflies flutter nearby.
Children will adore following the bee—and later, more and more bees—through open windows to the final two-page spread of a meadow in full bloom. All along the journey, the bee has made friends with woodland, pond, and orchard creatures, and young readers will delight in finding each of them hidden in this glorious field.
Ages 3 – 7
Doubleday Books for Young Readers, 2017 | ISBN 978-1524715267
Discover more about Britta Techentrup, her books, and artwork on her website!
National Wildflower Week Activity
Busy Buzzy Bee Maze
Can you help the little bee find her way through this printable Busy Buzzy Bee Maze? Here’s the Solution!
Picture Book Review
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