The most recommended honey bee books

Who picked these books? Meet our 20 experts.

20 authors created a book list connected to honey bees, and here are their favorite honey bee books.
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What type of honey bee book?

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Book cover of The Mind of a Bee

Jonathan Birch Author Of The Edge of Sentience: Risk and Precaution in Humans, Other Animals, and AI

From my list on change the way you think about animal minds.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™ve always thought of myself as someone who ā€œcares about animals,ā€ but I came to see that I was thinking mainly about mammals and birds and overlooking the vast majority of animal life: fishes and invertebrates. Iā€™m a philosophy professor at the London School of Economics, and for almost 10 years now, Iā€™ve also been part of an emerging international community of ā€œanimal sentienceā€ researchersā€”researchers dedicated to investigating the feelings of animals scientifically. In 2021, a team led by me advised the UK government to protect octopuses, crabs, and lobstersā€”and the government changed the law in response. But there is a lot more we need to change.

Jonathan's book list on change the way you think about animal minds

Jonathan Birch Why did Jonathan love this book?

Bees are sometimes dismissed as robot-like ā€œreflex machinesā€ that feel nothingā€”but they learn from each other, they are creative, they have ā€œculturesā€ of a kind, they even ā€œplayā€ with little balls, and they plausibly feel pain.

Chittkaā€™s amazing work over many decades has persuaded me that insects probably have feelingsā€”feelings very different from our own, no doubt, but feelings that matter to them and should matter to us.

By Lars Chittka,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Mind of a Bee as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A rich and surprising exploration of the intelligence of bees

Most of us are aware of the hive mind-the power of bees as an amazing collective. But do we know how uniquely intelligent bees are as individuals? In The Mind of a Bee, Lars Chittka draws from decades of research, including his own pioneering work, to argue that bees have remarkable cognitive abilities. He shows that they are profoundly smart, have distinct personalities, can recognize flowers and human faces, exhibit basic emotions, count, use simple tools, solve problems, and learn by observing others. They may even possess consciousness.

Taking readersā€¦


Book cover of Can You Dance Like a Peacock?

Connie Bergstein Dow Author Of Tap and Rap, Move and Groove

From my list on inspire your little ones to imagine and have fun.

Why am I passionate about this?

Dance has always been an important part of my life. I specialized in dance in college (Denison University) and graduate school (MFA, University of Michigan) and danced professionally for twelve years. As a dance educator, Iā€™ve taught in colleges, conservatories, schools, and community centers, teaching toddlers, senior adults, and every age in between. Iā€™ve authored two books for teachers, three picture books, articles in journals, and verses for childrenā€™s magazines. I share my passion for dance by writing and teaching, and visiting schools, libraries, and book festivals. I believe that every child should have the opportunity to participate in the arts; they are essential and transformational forces in our lives.

Connie's book list on inspire your little ones to imagine and have fun

Connie Bergstein Dow Why did Connie love this book?

I love this book because its central theme is to inspire children to explore different kinds of movement. The prompts are all centered around animals, with lots of words that help to describe the animals and how they move.

Words like ā€œstretch,ā€ ā€œwaggle,ā€ ā€œmarch,ā€ and ā€œsplashā€ help children use their imaginations and explore many ways of moving their bodies. The beautiful illustrations by Hannah Abbo will also inspire young readers.

By Rekha Rajan, Hannah Abbo (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Can You Dance Like a Peacock? as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

Learn about animals and get grooving with this fun and lively picture book from a renowned STEAM expert and arts educator!

Discover the amazing ways that animals use movement to communicate! Lighthearted text and vibrant illustrations teach readers how peacocks strut and honeybees waggle, and even invites kids to get up and try out some animal-inspired dance moves themselves!


Book cover of The Mind of a Bee
Book cover of Can You Dance Like a Peacock?

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