THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE HONEYBEE

The author of The Life and Times of the Apple (Orchard, 1992) uses the same breezy, colorful format to introduce the honeybee, its history, anatomy, odd facts, and daily life. He describes the bee from egg to adult in brief text and soft-colored pictures. Each spread offers a dozen or more drawings and tidbits, e.g., bee communication through dancing, beekeeping, wax and honey products, bees through history, and around the world. This is a charming browsing title, but the text lacks precision and the author gives no sources. Micucci notes, ``8000 B.C. After the Ice Age, people hunted bees with torches.'' Maybe, but how do we know? He states that the round dance is used when the flowers are ``less than 100 yards away.'' Encyclopedia Americana (1994, Volume 3) says that when the nectar source is closer than about ten yards, the circular dance is used. For nectar from 10 to 100 yards away, the dance becomes sickle-shaped and eventually the figure eight. Honeybees are fascinating and have been extensively researched; most science enthusiasts will want more information than this title provides. (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-10)