paper 0-7894-4758-4 Readers will delight in this entry in the Eyewitness Readers series, in which Wallace combines a very brief, controlled vocabulary and striking full-color photographs to gracefully explain the life cycle of the honey bee. Inserts of labeled images are provided to help children connect specialized words—those not usually part of a basic reading vocabulary, e.g., hive, nectar, pollen, cell, and bee grub. The only mild reservation may be that the photographs in the book show bees and the hive greatly enlarged; some children will need to be provided with a frame of reference for such giant insects. This is a welcome resource for beginning readers, whose curiosity about nature will propel them through page after page. (Nonfiction. 4-7)

Telling the story of Busy Bee's daily activities, Wallace imparts basic facts about the life cycle, diet, and behavior of honeybees. Though the tone is cutesy, the information is solid. Simple sentences and judicious use of repetition will help beginning readers gain confidence. Close-up, cropped color photographs illustrate points from the text, and a picture word list reinforces key terms.