The Bee Tree by Patricia Polacco

The Bee Tree Reviews

• 
  Jon Nakapalau

  A sweet story about how a little girl learns to get honey with her grandfather.
• 
  Lisa Vegan

  Oh, this story was a hoot! It’s so much fun to read aloud (and to read to oneself too.)
  
  The story ends up being a paean to reading and to books. Getting there is a fun romp – one person, group, animal after another goes off chasing bees back to their trees in pursuit of sweet honey. I absolutely love the illustrations of the Grampa running with his granddaughter and picking up others along the way.
  
  There’s a bit of a moral to the story but it’s not at all heavy handed, and since I agree with it, I had no problems with it at all.
• 
  Abigail

  Based upon the stories of her own mother's childhood in rural Michigan, Patricia Polacco's The Bee Tree is an engaging tale of a girl and her grandfather's search for a bee tree, and the honey to be found therein. When Mary Ellen declares that she is tired of reading, her Grampa decides that it might be time for a bee tree hunt, in which one captures a few honey-bees in a jar, releases them one by one, and follows them to the source. As Mary Ellen and Grampa tear across the countryside in hot pursuit, a variety of community members join the chase...
  
  Although I cannot say that this is one of my favorite Polacco picture-books - I just didn't feel the same kind of emotional connection to it, that I did to titles like
  The Lemonade Club, read at the same time, or to
  Thank You, Mr. Falker - I can see that it would make an entertaining read-aloud. I also appreciated the "lesson" that Grampa works into the adventure. All in all, one I would recommend to fellow Patricia Polacco fans!
• 
  Dolly

  This is a strange, but fun tale about a group of people who run after a bee in search of its nest, in order to get some fresh honey. The various names are odd and, along with the cumulative nature of the tale and the repetitive onomatopoeia, the story is fun to read aloud.
  
  I love how the grandfather explains that reading books can be as much of an adventure as the hunt for the bee tree. At the end of the story, Mary Ellen becomes an avid reader, and any book that shows children loving to read are a hit with me!
  
  We've read many of
  Patricia Polacco's books and are always looking for ones we haven't yet read. While this isn't our favorite of her tales, we enjoyed reading it aloud together. We will certainly look for more of her stories at our local library.
• 
  Linda

  It’s hard to admit, but I have never read this book. I think if I still had my own class I would use it for the beginning of conversations about reading, or for sometime in the first week of school. A little girl named Mary Ellen says she’s tired of reading and her grandpa says that it must be time to hunt for a bee tree. They find a few bees and collect them safely in a jar, let one out and the chase is on! Others met along the way add to the hunt which makes the story so delightful. They find the tree and you’ll have to read the rest of the story to discover the ending that circles right back to reading. Polacco’s stories and her illustrations are so filled with joy and energy, I want to jump right into the action. Sweet story!
• 
  The Reading Countess

  Reminiscent of many of the read alouds my sons and I relished in their toddler years where every page meant someone would join in on whatever fun or trouble that was brewing, Polacco's The Bee Tree takes readers on a similar journey. This time, though, we visit a time long ago and far away and meet names and customs we don't often see nowadays. And we are all the better for it. Quietly tucked into the last few pages is a love letter to the importance of reading.
  
  "...There is such sweetness inside of that book too...such tings...adventure. knowledge and wisdom. But these things do not come easily. You have to pursue them, Just like we ran after the bees to find their trees, so you must also chase these things through the pages of a book!"
• 
  Sunday

  When Mary Ellen and Grampa go chasing after bees to discover their honey, a group of friends and neighbors join them. While the focus of this story is how the collection of sweet honey does not come easily just like learning to read does not, children can also infer how Polacco has incorporated bee facts into the story. These facts include the long distances field bees fly and the use of smoke to mask the pheromones bees release when danger is nearby.
  
  This would make a good read aloud in the primary grades as part of an integrated unit on the life cycle of bees and related environmental issues. This can be paired with a nonfiction text.
• 
  Sherry Elmer

  I love reading this book out loud. The characters are wonderful, their voices enticing, the adventure is great fun, and the lesson Grandpa leaves Mary Ellen with at the end is one not to be missed. Join Mary Ellen, Grandpa, and their quirky, lovable neighbors in their quest for the bee tree and give your children--and yourself--a delightful time in their company. You'll be glad you did.
• 
  Tania

  This was a wild story that had my children almost falling off the couch in laughter. Then, when we reached the second to last page, my voice caught in my throat as I read it aloud to them. What a sweet (pun intended), unexpected ending to this charming story. Definitely a must-read to all children.
• 
  Ebookwormy1

  A whimsical tale about a bee finding adventure, which a wise grandfather uses to teach his grand daughter about the importance of practice and perseverance in learning. The story is complimented by some silliness and a plethora of vivid drawings. Highly recommended.
• 
  Aiyana Martinez

  In this exciting book, a child spends a day with her grandfather. Her grandfather starts off reading to her but she surprisingly jumps up and decides to tell her grandfather that she does not want to read. Next her grandfather decides to take her outside to the bee tree to get some honey. As they decide to chase a bee to the bee tree, on their way chasing the bee, they run into people in town and join them on the adventure. Soon enough they end their adventure with sharing honey with town with yummy biscuits. After their adventure with chasing the bee and eating, her grandfather brings her inside puts a little honey on her book and says wise words of reading.
  
  
  -The text of this book is very small yet details the story very well. It lets you see whose speaking and what exactly is going on with the story. For example when the girl says how she doesn't want to read or when someone in town wants to join in the adventure with them.
  
  -The illustration is very modern and almost looks like sketched/watercolors. It seems very detailed.
  
  -At the end of the book that I really enjoyed was what the grandfather said to his granddaughter. I was not expecting a lesson to be learned out of this book, but I enjoyed it and it really tied the whole book together. great book.
  
• 
  Sadie

  Patricia Polacco's "The Bee Tree" is a story that keeps your adrenaline running as fast as the characters in the book! I read this book because the title sounded interesting. The cover illustration just has so much going on that I knew the book must have so much going on as well. It's about a child named Mary Ellen who is disinterested in reading, so her grandfather takes her on a wild chase for honey to increase her interest. They capture bees, set them free, and embark on a chaotic journey to find the home of the bees (hence the bee tree). As they chased the bees they captured, I was just as excited as Mary Ellen to discover where they would lead them! You may be asking how chasing bees in search of honey relates in any way, shape, or form to reading. To find out that answer, you'd have to read the book yourself. The answer you will discover is so powerful, so beautiful, and so very true.
• 
  Isabelle Lovejoy

  This is a book of a girl, Mary Ellen, and her grandfather. Her grandfather loves to read, but Mary Ellen doesn't. Her grandfather decides that they should go hunting for a bee, and follow it to it's hive to get fresh honey. It's an adventurous story, with a moral of "knowledge is sweet, like honey" and shows that just like you have to work and hunt for honey, you have to do the same with knowledge. Personally I like this book as it kind of shows some background not only on Polacco's life, but also on her family, and this book makes to be a prequel to Thank You, Mr. Falker (which I read before this one), as in the end, you realize that Mary Ellen is Polacco's mother! It is written in a way that seems like someone is just telling you a story, and the illustrations pair perfectly with the story, per usual. A great story to have, and to read to children who don't particularly enjoy reading, as well as just to read to themselves for enjoyment.
• 
  Amy

  When Mary Ellen is tired of reading and wants to go outdoors running and playing, her grampa offers to help her find a bee tree. They go outside, catch a few bees in a jar, then let one out and start running after it. Soon a whole crowd of people and animals joins them in their chase. As they lose sight of the first bee, they set free a second, and the final third bee leads them to the hive in the bee tree. They all share honey and biscuits at an impromptu party. Mary Ellen learns a final lesson as Grandpa spoons a little honey onto the cover of her book and has her lick it off. "There is such sweetness inside of that book too! . . . Such things . . . adventure, knowledge, and wisdom. But these things do not come easily. You have to pursue them. Just like we ran after the bees to find their tree, so you might also chase these things through the pages of a book!"
• 
  Judy

  rating: 3.5
  
  Polacco's mother (Mary Ellen) must have talked about going on a bee hunt with her grandfather. PP listened carefully and recounts the story here.
  
  Now I want to catch some bees and follow them back to their bee tree. Something tells me it won't be as easy as it sounds. I've only found a bee tree once, and that was on the plains of Eastern Colorado, in the middle of a cottonwood grove.
  
  (The end of the tale connects the honey with the 'sweetness of reading.' Nice idea, but it struck me as a little odd.)
• 
  Stefanie Burns

  One of those stories like the gingerbread man where they run after something, in this case a bee, and more people keep joining the chase.
  
  The young girl is tired of reading so her grandfather tells her it's time to find a bee tree. They trap some bees in a jar. He tells her that when he lets them go they will lead them to their tree. So they follow the bees. Sure enough there is honeycomb in the tree. The honeycomb is shared with all the friends. I actually felt bad that they took the honeycomb that the bees worked so hard to create. I wonder if students would feel the same way. I think some would. But the point of the story was yet to come. Her Grampa put some honey on the book and told her to lick it off. He explains how good it is and that the book is as sweet as the honey. Just like their chase today, she needs to chase in the book for the adventure, knowledge, and wisdom. Nice book I suppose, but I don't think it's for little kids though it is a picture book.
  
  Like I said, I feel bad for the bees and I don't want someone to put food on books when I tell the kids not to all the time!
• 
  Annabellecarter

  The Bee Tree is about a young girl named Mary Ellen, who like other young children got bored of reading, she just wanted to be outside. So, Mary Ellen's Grandpa took her on a journey. The pair captured a swarm of bee's in their jar. Grandpa let's one bee out of the jar at a time, He and Mary Ellen chase the first be in the hope that they will follow the bee too the sweet honey. The journey continues, Grandpa let's one bee at a time out of the jar, and they follow. Along the way Mary Ellen and Grandpa meet many people who join in on the chase. When they reach their destination they remove the honey and take it back to their house for a celebration.
  After the adventurous journey, Grandpa pulls Mary Ellen aside. He spoons some of the honey onto the cover of her book and tells her to taste. He then tells her that there is sweetness, adventure and knowledge inside of a book. From then on Mary Ellen never again complained about having to read.
  This is a great book to remind children that adventure and excitement can also be found in a book.