Hannah Rogge

I'm usually skeptical about novelty books like this; I save them for storytime kits or activities, but I think this one might actually work well as a book as well as a component of a kit.

The book opens out into the shape of a hive and, embedded in the front cover, are two cardboard bee shapes. These are attached to the book by ribbons. You can use the bees to follow along the story. The bees in the story address the reader directly, inviting them along as they search for flowers, collect nectar, and the do the waggle dance - everybody can join in! Two spreads show the bees hard at work within their hive, and then they return to the flowers to repeat their jobs.

The bees and their surroundings are shown in cute, cartoon versions with big eyes, smiling faces, and lots of soft greens, yellows, and red and purple flowers. The pages are sturdy cardboard and the book will hold together well, even if the little detachable bees go the way of all novelty board books. The text is a little longer than I'd usually look for in a board book, but it's still simple enough for young children to understand and would work well if you read parts of it aloud.

Verdict: A fun and unique book about bees, this makes a great introduction for little ones to these important insects.

ISBN: 9781452168920; Published March 2019 by Chronicle; Borrowed from another library in my consortium… (més)

Excellent found object craft book. The bulk of the projects can be made for less than a few dollars, with only a few getting more expensive depending on the length of your final project. Most projects can be completed in an afternoon with careful planning.

Of the projects I've made from the book, the S-hook bracelet gets more compliments than any other. Individuals love the heft and look of the bracelet and are positively amazed when I point out that it's made of things out of the hardware store.

On the downside, I do wish the book would have given a warning upfront about the somewhat common base-metal allergies. Many individuals have sensitivities to base-metals and much of what you'll get in the hardware store will have high levels of nickle and zinc. They talk about how to avoid zinc discoloration, but not about what to do when you may have a skin allergy. In these cases, individuals could look for stainless steel versions of their goods (which are more expensive), unless the allergy is severe - in which case, they'll be wanting to stick to the non-metal projects (luckily, quite a few).… (més)