STEMville: The Bee Connection
Ben Newman
Flying Eye Books

STEMville town is populated by creatures of all kinds, though there are no humans, and this story unfolds in Bug Borough where a solitary bee, Mason B. Chandler (love the name) has recently set up her new private detective agency. She is eagerly awaiting a case when she hears a loud CRASH! outside. There she discovers that the Bug Borough traffic – vehicular and pedestrian – has come to a halt; everything is stuck in a golden sticky goo. Mason tastes the stuff – it’s sweet and immediately she feels an energy boost. Honey, she thinks, but how has it got all over town?

Using the device of a private eye investigation, Ben Newman imparts a great deal of information about insects and the apian world in particular. We learn that there are three kinds of bees – solitary bees like Mason, bumblebees and the social honey bees (the ones that make honey). Bee anatomy is illustrated,

and how bees differ from wasps and hoverflies. The secrets of the hive are revealed, its architecture, layout, the various different roles of its occupants

and the intricacies of the waggle dance whereby bees communicate where to find the best nectar sources, as well as just how important they and other insects are in the pollination of the plants that provide us with the food we eat.

Mason solves the mystery of the honey spill: it was all down to that careless bee-keeper bear who eventually confesses to dropping the jar.

In Flying Eye tradition, Ben Newman’s book is all a-buzz with information presented through explanatory panels, lively cartoon style illustrations and diagrams. A smashing way to introduce children to a vital topic; it concludes with some brief bee friendly suggestions for readers.