If you are looking for an adorable children’s book with a strong Biblical message, good writing, rich vocabulary, lovely illustrations, and a wealth of information to springboard further learning… have I got a book for you!

Elsie Larson’s Bombus the Bumblebee is an adorable story about Bombus, a bumblebee who learns that God designed him and made him uniquely from the rest of creation. The book opens with the Biblical creation account, specifically noting that God spoke the creation into existence and declared it to be good.

As the story beings, the honeybees notice after a bit that Bombus is bigger than they are and drinks more nectar than they do. They resent him and decide to trick Bombus into thinking that he had been mistaken – the Creator never intended for him to fly! This story has a sweet message of God’s loving assurance that He never makes mistakes and admonition to Bombus to fulfill what he had been created for.

This book also has great vocabulary! Here are some words that your child will encounter just on the first three pages: swooping, creeping, bobbed, rumbled, clumsy, and lurched.

Now, if you’ve read my other children’s book reviews, you know that I do love nice illustrations. The pictures in this book are lovely!! I love the detail and the variety of creatures in this picture!

The most surprising part of this book to me was the back. After the story is finished, There is a two-page “About Bumblebees” spread, full of discussion about the unique way that God created bumblebees. Did you know that a bumblebee is warm-blooded? Or that it has fur? Or how it uses its wings to change direction in midair?

After the “about bumblebees” pages, there is one full page full of discussion questions that parents can use with their children after reading this book. For example: “Has anyone ever said something that made you feel clumsy, ugly, or bad, because you are different? How did you feel?” “Have you ever acted like the honeybees? What happened?”

Now, if those things are not enough, then there is an additional few pages full of creative activities to do based on this book – making bumblebees out of balloons and discussing again how they fly, making fingerprint bees and discussing how unique we all are, etc. Fantastic!

Bombus the Bumblebee is the first in a series of two by Elsie Larson and is illustrated by David and Elizabeth Haidle. It is published by Master Books.

**For more information or to purchase a copy, click on the book cover image to be taken to the publisher’s website. I am an affiliate and will receive a small percentage of the sale of this or other products. I was provided with a copy of this book in exchange for my review from New Leaf Publishing Group. The opinions expressed in this review are my unbiased thoughts as in keeping with my disclosure policy.