Oh Honey! 40 Books About Bees & Bee Characters for Preschoolers

Kids will love learning about these little pollinators through these 40 engaging bee books. What starts with reading these stories can turn into saving the bees.

And how do we teach early learners about bees? One way is with books about bees. Children’s stories with bee characters and nonfiction bee books introduce preschoolers and toddlers to bees’ role in our planet.

Children’s Books with Bee Characters

Bee: A Peek-Through Picture Book

By Britta Teckentrup

Available in: hardcover

Do you notice the holes in this rhyming children’s book? Look through the holes, and see how the story stacks up in an interesting way.

Please Please the Bees

By Gerald Kelley

Available in: paperback & hardcover

A bear is living the honey-sweet life until the bees go on strike. Soon he learns that he needs to give and not just take.

Willbee the Bumblebe

By Craig Smith & Maureen Thomson, illustrated by Katz Cowley

Available in: paperback

The authors of Wonky Donky fame are back to talk about bees. This rhyming story tells a silly tale of an embarrassed bumblebee getting help from friends.

The Honeybee

By Kirsten Hall, illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault

Available in: hardcover

On a warm day, bugs are full of energy. This book perfectly captures that feeling with bouncy, fun poetry. The charming, warm illustrations only enhance the bee poetry.

Begin with a Bee

By Liza Ketchum, Jacqueline Briggs Martin, & Phyllis Root, illustrated by Claudia McGehee

Available in: hardcover

Follow the life cycle of our main character, a queen bee.
The illustrations in this book are one-of-a-kind. They are bold and eye-catching. The textured thick lines and earth-tone colors give the appearance of carvings in wood.

Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera

By Candace Fleming, illustrated by Eric Rohmann

Available in: hardcover

A bee’s life is busy from birth. Follow Apis Mellifera to see what she does day by day.
This book is a little text-heavy but includes an awesome black and white diagram of a bee body.

The Secret Life of Bees: Meet the Bees of the World, with Buzzwing the Honey Bee

By Moira Butterfield, illustrated by Vivian Mineker

Available in: hardcover

Buzzwing the bee introduces readers to the world of bees including bee science, beekeeping, and even bee folklore from around the world.

Bee Dance

By Rick Chrustowski

Available in: hardcover & paperback

A story of bee communication. Learn how our main bee tells their hive mates about the flowers in the field. This book is an excellent early introduction to insect science.

Bee & Me

By Alison Jay

Available in: hardcover & paperback

A wordless bee conservation book that lets the beautiful illustrations do the talking.

Tiny Town: What Did Busy Bee See?

By Oakley Graham, illustrated by Lemon Ribbon

Available in: board book

Trace a bee’s path through this adorable and interactive bee book. Readers will enjoy peeking through cut-outs to sneak a peek into the following pages.

Hello Honeybees: Read & Play in the Hive

By Hannah Rogge, illustrated by Emily Dove

Available in: board book

This storybook gradually opens into a 3D beehive and includes two bee characters who interact with the story.

The Very Greedy Bee

By Steve Smallman, illustrated by Jack Tickle

Available in: paperback

A greedy bee learns a lesson when he is in a predicament and receives help from some new bug friends.

Bee

By Charlotte Voake

Available in: hardcover

A boy dresses like a bee and makes new bee friends in this children’s book. The illustrations are done in a perfectly rustic layered paper style.

Swarm of Bees

By Lemony Snicket & Rilla Alexander

Available in: paperback & hardcover

The artwork in this book alone makes it worthy of a spot in your bee book collection. The story follows a swarm of bees and provides plenty of opportunities to talk about handling big emotions.

Little Bee’s Flower

By Jacob Souva

Available in: hardcover

Little bee is (maybe) ready for her first mission and has her notes on hand. Still, she may need help from other critters. This is an adorable story with equally adorable illustrations.

Hello, Bee (Touch, Feel, & Reveal)

By Isabel Otter, illustrated by Sophie Ledesma

Available in: board book

Early readers get to engage with the multiple sensory-rich features of this board book. Follow along with bee while lifting flaps, peeking through holes, and touching textures.

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Children’s Books About Saving Bees

Save the Bees

By Bethany Stahl

Available in: paperback & hardcover

Part story, part informational, this book follows three friends (2 humans & 1 bee) as they problem-solve together. You’ll love the charming illustrations and cheerful colors. The book even includes bonus activities for readers.

Bea’s Bees

By Katherine Pryor, illustrated by Ellie Peterson

Available in: hardcover

This book features the story of a young bee protector who advocates for the bees in her community.

Give Bees a Chance

By Bethany Barton

Available in: paperback & hardcover

This highly-rated book packs a lot into its goofy bee story. I love how the book shows readers how to respond if a bee is nearby and scaring them. Readers will learn about bees, bee conservation, and why bees are essential to our planet.

Omar, the Bees and Me

By Helen Mortimer, illustrated by Katie Cottle

Available in: paperback

Read about two friends pairing up to help their entire town care for the bees. A story about new friendships and environmentalism, with bright, lively illustrations. Watch the illustrator demonstrate painting flowers from the book here.

If Bees Disappeared

By Lily Williams

Available in: hardcover

Our planet depends on bees. While this bee book is a little text-heavy, it introduces important topics like habitat destruction and pesticide use at developmentally-appropriate levels.

We included If Sharks Disappeared in our ocean book list. 

The Thing About Bees: A Love Letter

By Shabazz Larkin

Available in: hardcover

This is both a love poem from a father to his children and an ode to the bees and why we need them. The book has a phenomenal balance of sharing love and honoring the bees.

More Social Justice Books

• 25 Feminist Board Books
• 15 Diverse & Inclusive Board Books

The Bee

By Becky Han, illustrated by Tindur Peturs

Available in: hardcover

This book is based on the author’s award-winning Inuit song. The story follows the main character on her long adventure to escape a bee. Eventually, she realizes that maybe she has the wrong idea about her buzzing companion.

Absolutely check out the performance of the book & song.

Betsy Buglove Saves the Bees

By Catherine Jacob, illustrated by Lucy Fleming

Available in: paperback & hardcover

Discover the magical world of bugs in your own backyard. Learn what happens when a young bug-lover decides to save the bees living next door. The book features fun rhymes and a dose of magic.

Bumblebee, Honeybee, and Bee Fact Books

The Buzzy Bee Book for Kids

By Alice McGinty

Available in: paperback

Readers will enjoy this engaging bee book experience. They’ll find real photographs, bee facts, quizzes, and activities.

Are You a Bee?

By Judy Allen, illustrated by Tudor Humphries

Available in: paperback

We are exploring all the characteristics of bees and their busy bee behavior. Does this sound like you? Are you a bee?

More Insect & Bug Books

• 30 Spider Books for Early Learners
• Our 30 Favorite Ant Books
• 15 Best Dragonfly Books
• The 25 Best Butterfly Books for Kids

Explore My World: Honey Bees

By Jill Esbaum

Available in: paperback & hardcover
A less text-focused bee book with real photographs

National Geographic Kids: Buzz, Bee!

By Jennifer Szymanski

Available in: paperback & hardcover
An easy-read bee book with real photographs

National Geographic Kids: Bees

By Laura Marsh

Available in: paperback
Featuring real photographs of bees and stuffed with bee facts

The Bee Book

By Charlotte Milner

Available in: hardcover

This children’s book is information-heavy but uses interesting graphic charts and illustrations to share bee facts. With a focus on conservation, this book is perfect for bee themes/units in classrooms or for homeschool.

Bees: A Honeyed History

By Piotr Socha

Available in: hardcover

This “treasure” and “gem” of a bee book is different from the others on this list. It explores bee science and human cultural connections to bees. The oversized book features large illustrations that help readers soak in the information. A must-have for bee units and lesson plans.

Beehive

By Jorey Hurley

Available in: hardcover

Each page of this book features a single word related to bee behavior, providing a minimalist introduction to these essential insects.

The Life and Times of the Honeybee

By Charles Micucci

Available in: paperback & hardcover

This nonfiction bee book is a fun exploration of the history and behaviors of honeybees.

Discover the Busy World of the Beehive

By Petra Bartikova, illustrated by Martin Sojdr

Available in: board book

Readers get an interactive learning experience as they explore this beehive book. While exploring the layers of the hive and the cutouts in the pages, readers will learn bee facts.

The Dance of the Bees

By Fran Nuño, illustrated by Zuzanna Celej, translated by Jon Brokenbow

Available in: hardcover

Gentle illustrations match the gentle haiku poetry in this book. Readers will learn about the bees along with the granddaughter in the story set in the Japanese countryside.

Being a Bee

By Jinny Johnson & Lucy Davey

Available in: paperback

This children’s book has cute graphics and is full of easy-to-understand bee facts. It’s a bright, informative introduction to nonfiction for young readers.

The Bees You See

By Francheska Tanglao

Available in: paperback

This children’s book introduces readers to the life of bees and their importance for our planet. Enjoy the absolutely cheery illustrations. If you love this book, check out the sequel, What Do Bees Do in the Winter? 

Children’s Books About Beekeeping

The Beeman

By Laurie Krebs & Valeria Cis

Available in: paperback & hardcover

A child shares about the work their grandfather does as a beekeeper. The warm, cheery illustrations add another layer of happiness to this story.

These Bees Count!

By Alison Formento, illustrated by Sarah Snow

Available in: paperback & hardcover

This book features layered, paper-cut illustrations and follows along with a group of young students who visit a bee farm. The students and the reader learn about bees. The book ends with a counting song related to bee behaviors.

The Honeybee Man

By Lela Nargi & Kyrsten Brooker

Available in: hardcover

Learn about beekeeping in the city in this colorful, charming book.

Bee Love (Can Be Hard)

By Alan Page & Kamie Page, illustrated by David Geister

Available in: hardcover

A grandpa helps his grandson overcome his fear of bees while visiting a bee farm. The grandson learns about his grandpa while also learning about bees and beekeeping. Proceeds from this book are donated towards education assistance for students of color.

Kaia and the Bees

By Maribeth Boelts, illustrated by Angela Dominguez

Available in: hardcover

Kaia is terrified of the bees that her dad, an urban beekeeper, has on their roof. Kaia’s bravery and compassion eventually grow for the insects her dad loves.

I recommend BookShop.org as an alternative to amazon. Each purchase on BookShop.org supports local and independent bookstores. You can explore my book lists for early learners or search for any books (new and used).

How To: Using Books to Teach About Bees

Have you ever wondered, “how do you teach a preschooler (or toddler!) about bees?” We want to protect bees and keep them safe, so the topic of bees is not the easiest for hands-on learning. That’s where books about bees come in. Early book experiences have a lasting impact on young readers.

Books with Bee Characters

Storybooks with bees as characters have a huge impact on young readers. Bee characters inspire empathy and understanding. Understanding bees makes a reader more likely to want to care for and protect them. Bee characters can also teach readers life lessons related to manners, family, friendships, and identity.

Bee stories can inspire activities such as:

• prop boxes
• small world play
• sensory tables
• hive building with blocks
• bee-related art activities

Books About Bee Science

Early reading experience should include nonfiction books too. The metaphor that children’s brains are sponges is true! If you are developing a bee unit or bee lesson plan or supporting a child’s die-hard passion for bees, you’ll want to include bee science books.

Adults should include bee facts, real photographs, and even charts and diagrams to give children a well-rounded education on bees.

Bee science activities can include:

• Observing bees
• Creating bee charts and diagrams
• Discussing bee facts
• Pointing out bee science information in fictional bee stories

Bee Conservation Books

A theme throughout this bee book list was bee conservation. Many of these books and stories teach children about bees’ essential role in our ecosystems. Children’s bee books teach about this critical topic at a developmentally-appropriate level.

Bee conservation activities can include:

• Creating a bee water feeder
• Planting a garden for pollinators
• Sharing about bee protection with others through conversations or stories

Get more information at The Bee Conservancy. 

Final Takeaways on Bee Books for Preschoolers & Toddlers

I found many “bee books” with bees on the cover and in the title, but really they were not bee books after all. Be careful out there, folks. Here are a couple of examples of those that I still recommend as just plain good children’s books:

• Bee Mine by Patricia Hegarty, illustrated by Bryony Clarkson
• Bumblebee Grumblee by David Elliot
• A is for Bee: An Alphabet Book in Translation by Ellen Heck
• Bigger than a Bumblebee by Joseph Kuefler