This inside-the-hive view of a wild colony of honeybees offers close-up views of the queen, the cells, even bee eggs. Simple verse will engage a young child, while sidebars with fascinating information satisfy the somewhat older child. Parents, teachers, and interested children will enjoy much more information about both wild and domestic hives in theback of the book. The artist s detailed style shimmers with life, highlighting each hair or grain of pollen on the bees. A wild hive in a tree in her own backyard served as a model! The reader is left with admiration for the remarkable lives of honeybees. When she was a child, Lori Mortensen jumped up and ran away from bees. Now a writer for children, shethinks they are fascinating. Artist Cris Arbo, of rural Buckingham, Virginia, is totally engaged with nature and used the wild hive in a tree in her large yard as the model for this book.