About the Holiday

Bees may be small but they are crucial to our food supply. For decades, the bee population has been declining in parts of the world due to habitat destruction, pollution, parasites, and pesticides. Bee colony collapse is also a major threat to their survival. Today’s holiday reminds people to protect these important insects, especially those at ground level that may nest underground or be visiting clover or other flowering ground covers.

Thanks to Holiday House for sending me a copy of this book for review!

Buzz! Being Brave Around Buzzy, Stinging Insects

Written by Toni Buzzeo | Illustrated by Joe Cepeda

When the weather turns nice and flowers, clover, and dandelions begin to bloom, you know that bees cannot be far behind. Zipping from blossom to blossom, they announce themselves with a familiar “Bzzzz” can that be both thrilling . . . and chilling. But do we really need to be so afraid of bees and other stinging insects as they go about their business? In her educational book, Toni Buzzeo says we don’t and explains why with fascinating and reassuring facts from the field.

Buzzeo introduces readers to the usual stinging insects they can encounter when playing or working outdoors. She then reveals the primary reasons they will sting and provides helpful and simple rules for anyone to follow to stay safe. Buzzeo’s guidelines run counter to our instincts generated by fear, but that’s a good thing because our typical reactions only make things worse—for us and for the insects that are so important to our food supply and ecosystems.

Once children—and adults—get used to being in calm proximity to stinging insects, Buzzeo invites them to “turn up their courage [to] stay and watch.” She promises that you won’t be disappointed if you use your “science eyes” because “stinging insects are interesting. Really!” If you remain still and quiet, bees, especially, put on an intriguing show that can teach you so much about how they survive, how they feed their babies, and how pollination works.

So what about wasps and hornets? They’re pretty scary, right? Well, yes—to those “garden pests that eat flowers, fruits, and vegetables” from our gardens. Wasps and hornets are “Superhero Predators of pesky insects” like these. How? They pick them off leaves, flowers, and stems and take them “home to their nests to feed their babies.”

Still—even while armed with all of these tips—people might worry about being stung. Buzzeo empathizes. She also reassures by clarifying what to expect if you are stung as well as what to do to lessen a sting’s effects while confirming that people who “are allergic to stinging insects need to be extra careful not to get stung.” With this advice, she sends readers outside to their backyards, gardens, or local parks to seek out and observe bees and other insects at work.

Back matter includes illustrated pages of facts on bees, wasps, and hornets.

In her practical and welcome Buzz! Being Brave Around Buzzy, Stinging Insects, Toni Buzzeo encourages readers to let curiosity, tempered with care, guide them in discovering the captivating lives and work of stinging insects. Her science-based text acknowledges and answers the questions and trepidations many people have about getting close to stinging insects. Her easy-to-follow advice will embolden readers to view for themselves the wonders of these unique pollinators and protectors.

Joe Cepeda’s outdoorsy illustrations of bees, wasps, and hornets homing in on colorful wildflowers while a group of children document their busy buzzy missions, provide realistic close-up views of these stinging insects and context to Toni Buzzeo’s text. He clearly depicts three common stinging insects—European honey bees, Eastern yellow jackets, and bald-faced hornets—helping children identify the insects in their area or inspiring them to do more research. Cepeda also gives visual clues as to how closely readers can approach bees and where honey bee hives, wasps nests, and solitary bees’ underground nests can be found.

A helpful and fascinating guide for learning how to peacefully and beneficially coexist with bees, wasps, and hornets, Buzz! Being Brave Around Buzzy, Stinging Insects is a go-to book that families and educators will find themselves reaching for season after season. It is highly recommended for all library collections.

Ages 4 – 8

Holiday House, 2026 | ISBN 978-0823459711

Toni Buzzeo is a New York Times bestselling children’s author. She has published twenty-nine picture books for kids as well as eleven books for teachers and librarians. A former librarian and college and high school writing teacher, Toni and her books have won many awards, including a Caldecott Honor for One Cool Friend, illustrated by David Small. Her fictional human and animal characters echo children’s experiences in a variety of ways. Her nonfiction topics range from inspiring biographies of women scientists to board books about vehicles and transportation. Endlessly enthusiastic, Toni draws on her career experiences as an elementary school librarian in crafting her books and speaking with audiences of children in schools and libraries. Toni lives in Arlington, Massachusetts. Visit her at tonibuzzeo.com.

Joe Cepeda received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from California State University, Long Beach, and also studied Engineering at Cornell University. He is a fine artist, as well as an illustrator of more than thirty-five book jackets and picture books, which have received many honors including Notable Children’s Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies, Parenting Magazine’s Reading Magic Award, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award, Texas Library Association 2×2 Reading List, ALA Notable Books, and Child Magazine’s Best Book of the Year. Joe illustrated Hey, Hey Hay! by Christy Mihaly, ¡Vamonos! Let’s Go! by Rene Colato Lainez, and Swing Sisters by Karen Deans. He both wrote and illustrated the I Like to Read books—Up, I Dig, I See, and I Hop. I Hop received a Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor, given to the most distinguished books for beginning readers. Joe received an American Library Association Pura Belpré Honor (for outstanding books that celebrate the Latino cultural experience) and the Recognition of Merit Award from the George G. Stone Center for Children’s Books. He lives in Claremont, California. You can visit him at joecepeda.com.

Don’t Step on a Bee Day Activities

Busy Buzzy Bee Maze

Can you help the little bee find her way to the flower and her friend in this printable maze?

Busy Buzzy Bee Maze Puzzle | Busy Buzzy Bee Maze Solution

Buzz! Being Brave Around Buzzy, Stinging Insects Teachers Guide

You can find a detailed Classroom Discussion and Activity Guide for Buzz! written by Toni Buzzeo on her website. The Guide is full of science-based activities as well as prompts for art, illustration, and writing that will get kids excited to learn about stinging insects, pollination, and more. You can download it from Toni Buzzeo’s website.

You can purchase Buzz! Being Brave Around Buzzy, Stinging Insects from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

Picture Book Review