The Book of Bees by Piotr Socha
| The Book of Bees by Piotr Socha | |
|
| |
| Category: Animals and Wildlife | |
| |
Reviewer: Louise Jones
 | |
| Summary: A quirky, informative and very BIG book all about bees. | |
| Buy? yes | Borrow? yes |
| Pages: 72 | Date: September 2016 |
| Publisher: Thames and Hudson | |
| External links: [www.piotrsocha.pl Author's website] | |
| ISBN: 9780500650950 | |
|
Share on: | |
|
| |
The Book of Bees may look like a typical picture book, but it has a lot buzzing underneath the surface. It is adapted from the original Polish book Pszczoly. Packed to the brim with bee facts and figures and accompanied by the wonderful comic-style artwork of Piotr Socha, the book is an odd amalgam: part coffee table book/ nature encyclopaedia/factfile/picture book. Don't be fooled by its simple cover; The Bee Book is a treasure trove of information just waiting to 'bee' harvested!
The format of the book is quite quirky. The first thing that you will notice is the sheer SIZE of it. At 38cm tall and 28cm wide, it has been designed to make an impact. The quality of the publishing is extremely high; the pages are thick, the cover solid and the colours vivid. The bee pattern on the endpapers is a work of art in itself, although it may make your eyes go funny if you look at it too long...
Once inside, the reader will notice that about 7/8 of the page is artwork, with a small sliver of space for text at the bottom. The illustrations themselves are charming, simple and childlike, but the written information is well-researched, informative and detailed. The pictures may appeal to younger children, whereas the text is aimed at older readers.
Almost every bee-related topic imaginable is covered in the book. History, evolution, pollination and bee-keeping are just a few of the subjects covered here. The section about bee anatomy was very interesting and I liked the artwork showing the workings of the inside of the hive.
The Book of Bees would make a lovely, if unusual gift for anyone who loves bees or the natural world. You just might need to buy a bigger bookcase to fit it in!
Bee lovers will also enjoy A Sting in the Tale by Dave Goulson, an entertaining and informative look at the world of bee conservation as told by an expert.
Please share on: 
Facebook, 
Twitter and
Instagram
You can read more book reviews or buy The Book of Bees by Piotr Socha at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy The Book of Bees by Piotr Socha at Amazon.com.
Comments
Like to comment on this review?
Just send us an email and we'll put the best up on the site.
