Bees are such interesting creatures. While they produce a sweet substance (hello, honey!), they can cause painful stings when provoked. Most children are intrigued by their unique appearance and characteristics. If your kids love bees or are curious about them, they’ll love these buzzy picture books about bees.
28 Awesome Picture Books About Bees
Here are 28 beautiful picture books about bees:
Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera
Published: February 4, 2020
A tiny honeybee emerges through the wax cap of her cell. Driven to protect and take care of her hive, she cleans the nursery and feeds the larvae and the queen. But is she strong enough to fly? Not yet!
Apis builds wax comb to store honey, and transfers pollen from other bees into the storage. She defends the hive from invaders. And finally, she begins her new life as an adventurer.
The confining walls of the hive fall away as Apis takes to the air, finally free, in a brilliant double-gatefold illustration where the clear blue sky is full of promise– and the wings of dozens of honeybees, heading out in search of nectar to bring back to the hive.
Please Please the Bees
Published: September 15, 2021
The bees are on strike!
Benedict has a pretty sweet life for a bear. Every morning the bees leave a jar of honey on his doorstep, and every day he has honey for breakfast and honey in his tea. It’s an important part of his day. But all that changes when the bees go on strike. Now it’s up to Benedict to listen to the bees, and he realizes there’s a lot more he could be doing to help them. So he fixes up the hive and learns to be a better beekeeper. Will the bees be pleased?
The Honeybee
Published: May 8, 2018
Bzzz…
What’s that?
Do you hear it?
You’re near it.
It’s closer,
it’s coming,
it’s buzzing,
it’s humming…
A BEE!
Bizzy Mizz Lizzie
Published: October 10, 2017
Lizzie is the busiest, buzziest bee in Hivetown! David Shannon’s vivid artwork and Lizzie’s endearing efforts to “do it all” will make children laugh aloud at her frantic antics as she juggles school, multiple sports, dance, violin, and art. With charm and determination, she longs to impress the Queen by winning a spelling contest, but she studies to the point of exhaustion. When she dozes off in the middle of the competition, the only solution is rest — and her refreshing visit to the local Garden finally teaches Lizzie to stop and smell the flowers, “which . . . is exactly what bees are supposed to do.” Shannon’s exuberant new book is funny and fresh, approaching the subject of over scheduled children (and adults) with breezy good humor and delivered with his signature fun and heart.
Bee: A Peek-Through Picture Book
Published: January 31, 2017
Through a hole in the book’s cover, a bee is buzzing inside a flower. Peek into this bright and lively book and discover the big ways this little insect contributes to the beauty of the environment, from pollinating colorful flowers to buzzing about the bright and beautiful meadow.
With clever peekaboo holes throughout, each page reveals new flowers and plants, plus a look inside a beehive as the bees work together to help a plants grow.
Children will love seeing the details of a bee’s active day as each page is turned. Along the way, they’ll learn how bees and plants works together to produce a healthy, beautiful environment.
The Thing about Bees: A Love Letter
Published: July 30, 2020
An exploration of the importance of bees in our world is offered through the author’s lyrical observations to his young sons, often with analogies between the insects and children, and always beautifully presented with unconditional love for them both.
The Bee Book
Published: February 6, 2018
The perfect introduction to bee conservation for little ones. Learn all about the beautiful world of bees and their adventure from flower to flower. You’ll find out just how much they matter, why they are declining, and what we can do to help in this adorable kids’ book.
Bees are brilliant at building, super social creatures and along with other insects, are responsible for a third of every mouthful of food you eat! Children will be fascinated by the beautiful pictures and learn plenty of buzz-worthy fun facts in every chapter, covering types of bees, beehives, beekeeping, how they pollinate plants and make honey.
A beautiful kid’s educational book about bees with a crucial message: not only does it inform and educate about an issue that is a real threat, but it also delivers it in a way that is gripping for all ages.
A dazzling celebration of bees, packaged in a gorgeous hard-backed book made with high-quality paper and spectacular illustrations.
What’s The Buzz About Honey Bees?
Meet the humble honeybee face-to-face – an animal that is considered nature’s hardest worker, in this engaging, educational kids’ book that you can treasure forever.
What do they do all day? Why are bees important? Find out why they need our help and what you can do.
Bees are responsible for so much more than making honey. This book is an essential tool in encouraging the protection of our precious buzzing friends for generations to come.
Give Bees a Chance
Published: April 25, 2017
Not sure whether to high-five bees or run away from them? Well, maybe you shouldn’t high-five them, but you definitely don’t have to run away from them. Give Bees a Chance is for anyone who doesn’t quite appreciate how extra special and important bees are to the world, and even to humankind! Besides making yummy honey, they help plants grow fruits and vegetables. And most bees wouldn’t hurt a fly (unless it was in self-defense!).
Flight of the Honey Bee
Published: September 10, 2013
A tiny honey bee emerges from the hive for the first time. Using sunlight, landmarks, and scents to remember the path, she goes in search of pollen and nectar to share with the thousands of other bees in her hive. She uses her powerful sense of smell to locate the flowers that sustain her, avoids birds that might eat her, and returns home to share her finds with her many sisters. Nature lovers and scientists-to-be are invited to explore the fascinating life of a honey bee.
If Bees Disappeared
Published: March 16, 2021
The rolling hills and lush climate of Kent, England are home to many creatures.
These creatures are fluffy, sneaky, spikey, and … small, like the bee.
Though bees are small, their importance is BIG. Today there are over 250,000 species of bees but all of them are in danger. Because of disease, pesticide exposure, lack of foraging habitats, and poor nutrition, entire honey bee hives are dying.
What would happen if bees disappeared completely?
Artist Lily Williams explores how such a loss would effect not just bees’ environment, but the world as a whole in this poignant, beautiful book about the importance of our most important bees.
Bea’s Bees
Published: March 28, 2019
Beatrix discovers a wild bumblebee nest on her way home from school and finds herself drawn to their busy world. When her bees mysteriously disappear, Bea hatches a plan to bring them back. Follow along with Bea as she uses her school library to learn facts about bumblebees and why they are critical to the sustainability of our planet. Can Bea inspire her school and community to save the bees?
Bees provide us with valuable resources, and some types of bees are in danger of disappearing forever. But ordinary people (and kids!) can help save them. Filled with fascinating facts about bumblebees and ideas to help preserve their environment, Bea’s Bees encourages kids to help protect bees and other pollinators.
Bruno the Beekeeper: A Honey Primer
Published: March 2, 2021
With glowing, honey-hued illustrations and friendly text, this homespun year-in-the-life of a busy beekeeper and his bees is a definitive picture book primer—whether for families contemplating a new hobby or for readers just curious to know how bees make 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. Gracefully translated from the original Czech—and paired with charming folk-style art that evokes the rural setting and cozy kitchen of a blended beekeeping family (complete with Grandma’s recipe for homemade honey-gingerbread cookies)—this charming ode to sustainability and fostering nature’s small wonders will delight readers of every stripe.
Honeybee Rescue: A Backyard Drama
Published: May 31, 2022
Follow honeybee rescuer Mr. Nelson as he expertly removes a colony of bees from Mr. Connery’s barn (with a vacuum!) and helps it relocate back to a hive. Photographs of Mr.Nelson’s relocation of the colony help bring the honeybee rescue to life.
Nature lovers and scientists-to-be will be abuzz as they learn all the ways to keep honeybees (and our ecosystem) safe.
Beehive
Published: January 7, 2020
With just one word on each page and the vivid illustrations Joey Hurley is known for, Beehive showcases the cycle of bees making honey. Detailed backmatter further explains this fascinating natural process.
Kaia and the Bees
Published: March 10, 2020
Kaia is the brave type. Like hottest-hot-pepper brave. But there is one thing that scares her: BEES! And right now, thousands of bees live on her roof because Kaia’s dad is a beekeeper. Her dad says that the world needs bees and that’s why they are beekeepers. But only he goes on the roof, not Kaia — unless she can find a way to be the brave girl she always says she is. Against a sunny city setting, author Maribeth Boelts and illustrator Angela Dominguez depict Kaia’s small courageous steps — and her tiny insect neighbors — with great empathy and charm. Buzzing with storytime potential, Kaia and the Bees is an honest and relatable tale about bravery and compassion, as well as the importance of bees to our world.
What If There Were No Honeybees?
Published: August 1, 2010
Grassland ecosystems can be found on nearly every continent. Countless animals and plants live in them. So what difference could the loss of one animal species make? Follow the chain reaction, and discover how important honey bees are.
Horsefly and Honeybee
Published: March 27, 2012
When Honeybee decides to take a nap in the same flower as Horsefly, trouble ensues! They don’t want to share, and after quarrelling, run away in opposite directions. But it isn’t long until they meet again… They have both been captured by hungry Bullfrog! If Horsely and Honeybee are to escape before dinnertime, they must find a way to work together.
Bee & Me
Published: October 21, 2008
Ages 4 and up.
When a young boy discovers a bee trapped in his bedroom he hides for fear of being stung. But when the amiable bee frantically explains all that bees do, the boy comes to understand how good things come in different packages: “Bees make honey. That much we know. Bees also spread pollen, which makes all things grow.”
The Bumblebee Queen
Published: July 1, 2006
Award-winning author April Pulley Sayre introduces young readers to the bumblebee queen in simple, captivating language. From her underground nest as spring warms the ground, to her efforts to build and care for her colony, all aspects of the bumble- bee queen’s lifecycle are fully explained, with fascinating details even young children will understand.
Patricia Wynne’s scientifically accurate illustrations detail hive life so beautifully, you can almost hear the constant buzz and smell the flowers. Young readers will look at bumblebees in a whole new light.
Includes ideas for good bee-havior, suggested reading, and Web sites for further study.
The Secret Lives of Bees
Published: May 11, 2021
Welcome to my honey hive home.
It’s where I live with my family.
I’m small and fuzzy and striped black and gold.
I’m Buzzwing the hard-working honey bee!
The Honeybee Man
Published: March 8, 2011
Every morning, Fred climbs three flights of stairs—up to his rooftop in Brooklyn, New York—and greets the members of his enormous family: “Good morning, my bees, my darlings!” His honeybee workers are busy—they tend the hive, feed babies, and make wax rooms. They also forage in flowers abloom across Brooklyn… so that, one day, Fred can make his famous honey, something the entire neighborhood looks forward to tasting. Lela Nargi’s beautifully written story—accompanied by Kyrsten Brooker’s collage-style illustrations—offers an inside look at the life of an endearing beekeeper and the honey-making process.
When the Bees Buzzed Off!
Published: April 2, 2019
Uh-oh! The bees have buzzed off, and all the other insects are in a pickle. Who will pollinate the trees and flowers? It’s up to three brave bugs—and one very grumpy snail—to bring those buzzy bees back! A lift-the-flap adventure story, filled with fascinating facts about bees!
UnBEElievables: Honeybee Poems and Paintings
Published: March 6, 2012
Come inside the honeycomb—a busy, buzzy, bee-filled home—and learn about the unexpected wonders of these tiny insects’ lifestyles, families, and communities. In fourteen funny, fact-filled honeybee poems and paintings, Douglas Florian explores the natural history of these often-unappreciated critters, revealing them to be a totally cool—and totally important—part of our ecosystem. Indeed, these buzzy bugs have been in the spotlight lately as wild bee populations are dwindling, honey prices are rising, and beekeeping has become a popular hobby.
Egg to Bee
Published: January 1, 2020
What is a worker bee? How do bees collect pollen? What are baby bees called? The amazing life cycle of a bee is explored with photographic guidance and a simple, informative text. Concepts of reproduction, growth, and offspring are introduced.
Little Bee’s Flower
Published: October 5, 2021
Little Bee flies out on her very first mission: find a flower. But what does a flower look like? What does it smell like? What does it taste like? Will Little Bee ever find what she’s looking for? A heartwarming tale about finding your inner courage and strength, and the support and love of others.
It Starts with a Bee
Published: April 5, 2022
Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall, the bee tends to the flowers and plants. As the seasons change and the garden blooms into a wildlife wonderland, the bee is joined by well-loved minibeasts and creatures – worms, beetles, spiders and mice – who make the wild garden their home.
A rhyming poem builds page on page, echoing the life the bee brings to the garden. Beautiful foldout illustrations will transport readers into the world of the bee as it navigates the flowers and plants of the garden.
Teach your children about the crucial role bees play in the beautiful cycle of life in this charming tale of the workings of the natural world.
Turn This Book Into a Beehive!
Published: April 3, 2018
What a promise! Actually, promises. First, here’s a book that teaches kids all about the fascinating world of bees. Second, fun exercises, activities, and illustrations engage the imagination and offer a deeper understanding of bee life and bee behavior. Third, by following a few simple steps including removing the book’s cover and taping it together, readers can transform the book into an actual living home for backyard bees. Fourth, added all together, Turn This Book Into a Beehive! lets kids make a difference in the world—building a home where bees can thrive is one small but critical step in reversing the alarming trend of dwindling bee populations.
In the Trees, Honey Bees
Published: March 1, 2009
Here is the ideal introduction for preschoolers and early elementary children to insects that are not only amazing but also critically important to humans. Inside-the-hive views of a wild colony of honey bees offer close-ups of the queen, the cells, even bee eggs. Simple verse will engage a young child, while sidebars with fascinating information satisfy the somewhat older child. Parents, teachers, and interested children will enjoy much more information about both wild and domestic hives in the back of the book. The detailed art shimmers with life, highlighting each hair or grain of pollen on the bees. A wild hive in a tree in her own backyard served as a model for the artist!
There they are: 28 of the best picture books about bees! Which of these books have you read and loved? Which ones did I miss?
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Such a great collection of books, some of which I’ve already read (because I love me some bees) and others which I’ll add to my list.
Thanks, Tracy! I really appreciate the feedback. And yay for bee lovers 🐝