BRUNO THE BEEKEEPER: A HONEY PRIMER, by Aneta Frantiska Holasová, Candlewick; Illustrated edition, March 2, 2021, Hardcover, $19.99 (ages 7-10)
As we head into the growing season, Bruno the Beekeeper: A Honey Primer offers young readers a step-by-step guide to caring for beehives and harvesting honey.
Follow Bruno the bear through the seasons, beginning in late summer, as he demonstrates how he keeps his bees healthy and happy, from housing and maintaining the hive to harvesting honey and beeswax. Learn the anatomy and life cycle of bees, the difference between workers and queens, what flowers bees pollinate, and what predators they avoid. —Synopsis provided by Candlewick
Bruno the Beekeeper, by Aneta Frantiska Holasová, was originally published in the Czech Republic in 2013. It features folk-style art and rural setting.
This lovely picture book begins with a primer. First comes detailed illustrations of bees and other insects, followed by the metamorphoses, anatomies and lives of worker bees, drones and queens. Next comes the hive and its parts, the beekeeper’s clothing and bee parasites and predators.
Though Bruno does make an appearance in the primer, it’s not until Page 22 that the “story” part commences. From then on, you follow Bruno’s work through the seasons. His processes are detailed and well-researched.
Because of the sweet, watercolor illustrations, readers may be lulled into thinking Bruno the Beekeeper is just a picture book. They’d be wrong. I love the mix of precision diagrams mixed with the looser lines used throughout the story elements. It’s a great way to separate things out. It’s a fun read that my 7-year-old has already taken over sole ownership of.
