The Last Honeybee

by Sage Greenleaf

A story about tiny helpers.

Grade 1: Early readers10 pages

A child learns why bees are disappearing and what can be done to help them

Characters

Grace

Mrs. Apley

+1 more

Risograph Two-Color

Story Arc

Grace: “Oh! A bee!” Grace: “Go away, bee!” Grace waves her hand.

Mrs. Apley: “Grace, wait!” Mrs. Apley: “What is wrong?” Grace: “It is a bee!” Grace: “I want it gone!”

Mrs. Apley: “Why go away?” Grace: “They might sting!” Mrs. Apley: “Bees are helpers.” Grace: “Helpers?”

Mrs. Apley: “They help our food.” Grace: “My food?” Mrs. Apley: “Yes, many foods.” Mrs. Apley points to a bush.

Mrs. Apley: “No bees, no berries.” Grace: “No berries?” Mrs. Apley: “No apples, no beans.” Mrs. Apley shrugs softly.

Grace: “But how, Mrs. Apley?” Mrs. Apley: “Bees move pollen.” Mrs. Apley: “Flowers need pollen.” Grace looks at a flower.

Mrs. Apley: “Pollen makes fruit.” Grace: “Oh! I see.” Grace looks closer now. A bee visits the flower.

Grace: “The bee is working!” Mrs. Apley: “Yes, busy bee.” Grace smiles a little. The bee flies away.

Grace: “Come back, busy bee!” Mrs. Apley: “They will return.” Grace: “We need the bees!” Grace nods her head.

Mrs. Apley: “Yes, we do, Grace.” Grace: “Our food needs them.” Mrs. Apley: “Every helper counts.” Grace looks at the garden.

Make one of your own next.

sting: When an insect pokes you with a sharp part and it hurts a little.; Grace: “They might sting!”
helpers: Someone or something that helps others or makes things happen.; Mrs. Apley: “Bees are helpers.”
berries: Small, soft, juicy fruits that grow on bushes or plants.; Mrs. Apley: “No bees, no berries.”
pollen: A fine powder from flowers that helps make new seeds or fruit.; Mrs. Apley: “Bees move pollen.”
fruit: The sweet, juicy part of a plant that grows from a flower, like an apple or a berry.; Mrs. Apley: “Pollen makes fruit.”
working: Doing something that is useful or needs to be done.; Grace: “The bee is working!”
busy: Doing a lot of things and not resting.; Mrs. Apley: “Yes, busy bee.”
return: To come back to a place.; Mrs. Apley: “They will return.”
counts: Is important or matters.; Mrs. Apley: “Every helper counts.”