Bees in Loretta’s Bonnet (Loretta’s Insects) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Tara Johnson Barnes

Bees in Loretta’s Bonnet by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Young Loretta is bringing an armful of firewood into the house when a round tube with holes drops out of the center of the logs. She is told that it is a leafcutter bee nest and that leafcutter bees are better than honey bees for pollinating plants. Loretta is told to put the nest back in the woodpile outside so the bees can find it. Loretta keeps an eye on the bee nest and discovers more holes appearing in it but cannot see any bees.

As the weather warms up outside, she also notices that there are holes in the leaves of the rose bushes, but she still sees no bees. It comes as a complete surprise to Loretta when she finally discovers where the bees have gotten to.

I absolutely adored this book and feel that it is the best one that I have read so far by this author. The illustrations were beautiful and really helped to bring the story to life. Although this book was geared for children, I walked away with knowledge about leafcutter bees that I did not previously know. I had no idea that they were better than honey bees for pollinating gardens. I loved that the author included instructions for building your own leafcutter bees’ nest so that you can attract more bees to your yard. I am anxious to build one with my young nieces and put them in our yards. A must read for all ages!

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