New bees on the block -- Humble-bees -- Super bees -- Escape! -- Bees in the spotlight -- Poisoning Bumble bees -- Bumble bee "smarts" -- Bumble bees on the brink -- Hope for Bumble bees

"Bumble bees are rather charming, buzzing from flower to flower with their furry black and yellow bodies. Depending on where you live, the bees you see might be escapees from a greenhouse or "bumble bee factory." They might even be descendants of stowaways on Viking ships. Thanks to humans, bumble bees are world travelers, spreading to countries that never hosted bumble bees before. For centuries these insects pollinated our crops. But are they pushing out native pollinators? Why are some species of bumble bees flourishing whereas others are floundering, to the point of possibly disappearing forever? Dana Church's narrative nonfiction explores these questions and tells the tale of bumble bees' history with humans. She highlights the interconnectedness of the two species, and touches on the topics of endangerment and extinction, the impact on human agriculture, bumble bee habitats and ecology, and the current crisis of bee protection. With a call to action for young people to become knowledgeable about our natural world and involved in its preservation, it's a hopeful and accessible guide to our history with these teddy bears of the insect world"--

Ages 8-12