The Bee Tree

"The Bee Tree" is another of Patricia Polacco's superb explorations of intergenerational friendship, and the significance of culture and tradition. Her expressive, folksy, slightly loopy style are all her own, and she has long been one of my favorite illustrators. Here, the warm, homey pictures just draw you into the story, and suffuse it with the familiarity of a family heirloom. That's part of the magic here: Polacco's... Read Full Review

Patricia Polacco, in her story The Bee Tree, tells a tale that emphasizes the important value of learning for its own sake. In this story, a young girl, Mary Ellen, tells her grandfather that she is tired of reading, that she would rather be outdoors running and playing. "In that case," responds her grandfather, " it must be time to find a bee tree."The grandfather goes outside with Mary Ellen, takes a sealed glass jar with... Read Full Review

Patricia Polacco is, to my mind, one of the finest children's book authors working today. Her mind is endlessly inventive and she manages to convey important truths and vital life lessons without ever once descending into preachiness or condescencion.Such is the case with "The Bee Tree." Polacco combines her usual rollicking, active illustrations with text that rambles and gamboles about all over the place. Mary Ellen is... Read Full Review

This story opens with Mary Ellen reading to her Grampa--and bored. "Feel like running, do you?" he asks, suggesting that they instead find a bee tree. The story transforms into "he went that-a-way." As in A Fly Went By, lots of people and animals chase an insect (well, in this case, several bees) through pages of glorious illustrations to find their quarry deep in Dunks Woods. They smoke the bees to calm them, retrieve honey... Read Full Review

The Bee Tree is a great book to read to a child who is starting school or who may be having trouble with a particular subject. This story stresses the importance of gaining knowledge through reading, especially knowledge that doesn't come easily. Curl up with your child and a snack including honey to add a little oomph! to the message. Enjoy!