The Bee Mother

By Hetxw’ms Gyetxw Brett D. Huson
Illustrated by Natasha Donovan
Series: Mothers of Xsan
Imprint: HighWater Press

Categories: Children's Nonfiction, Environmental Science & Ecosystems, Indigenous, Insects, Spiders, etc., Seasons
Big Ideas: Aspects of Indigenous Cultures, Worldviews, Teachings, and Protocols, STEM, Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability, Ecosystems, Life Cycles, Seasonal Cycles

Interest Age: 9–12
Grade: 4–6
Reading Level: Fountas & Pinnell T, Lexile® Framework for Reading: 1140L
Show edition details

Ebook (EPUB) : 9781774920817, 32 pages, June 2024
Ebook (PDF) : 9781774920824, 32 pages, June 2024
Hardcover : 9781774920800, 32 pages, May 2024

Read Excerpt

Discover the important role of bumblebees, honeybees, and wasps as pollinators in this colourful picture book for young scientists.

Description

Learn about the life cycles of different kinds of bees in this enlightening picture book.

As flowers and trees begin to bud and bloom, Nox Ap, the bee mother, emerges from her winter sleep. To the Gitxsan, she is nature’s gardener. Without her hard work as a pollinator, we could not enjoy the fruits of strawberries and huckleberries. Follow her life from the first thaw of spring to the end of autumn.

In the seventh book of Hetxw'ms Gyetxw (Brett D. Huson)’s Mothers of Xsan series, readers will discover the important role of the bumblebee, the honeybee, and the yellow jacket wasp in the Xsan ecosystem.

Reviews

Described with delicious adjectives (“pillowy moss floor”) that enrich the story...lushly colored and detailed; the fur on the bumblebee looks ready to be brushed. This great blend of nonfiction with narrative and amazing illustrations will engage readers in the life of bees and their significance to the Gitxsan Nation. A solid general purchase.
Tamara Saarinen, School Library Journal

I am forever enamored with the way that traditional depictions of the natural world that Natasha Donovan includes in her illustrations. The entire series masterfully blends together nonfiction information about different mothers with an emphasis on the interconnectedness between humans and non-humans.
The Tiny Activists

AICL has enthusiastically recommended the other six books in the Mothers of Xsan series. The Bee Mother is a timely and relevant addition to the series. Highly recommended.
Jean Mendoza, American Indians in Children's Literature

Each of the Mothers of Xsan illustrated children’s books presents science within the cultural context of the Gitxsan Nation’s close relationship with nature, with an emphasis on mothers. The Bee Mother shines a spotlight on pollinators: bumblebees, honeybees, and wasps.
MONTECRISTO Magazine

Who doesn’t like bumblebees? They shouldn’t be able to fly and yet there they are bobbing among the spring flowers and making Nature come to life. They are a wonder and this beautiful little book simply and colourfully explains why.
Ron Verzuh, The British Columbia Review