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Book Review: Diary of a Bee

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Diary of a Bee by Št?pánka Sekaninová, illustrated by Linh Dao, is a cute book for early elementary school readers about the life cycle of a bee.

It follows Matilda, who goes from egg to larva and bee in 21 days, then does various jobs in the hive through her life. She goes from being fed by older bees herself to feeding others, packing pollen into cells of the hive, nursing, taking nectar from forrager bees, making wax to build the hive, guarding the hive and finally foraging for pollen herself.

Her friend Thomas is a drone so readers also learn a bit about what drones do as well as the queen bee. There is talk of death and bees separating to make a new hive, and in the end new bees (with the same names as the old bees) are ready in the next spring to start the cycle over again.

The book is cute and a quick read that does have some good information in it. The illustrations are silly, with young bees drinking from baby bottles and the drones going to their “wedding” dressed in tiny tuxedos. There’s a kid in every group who will wonder if bees really have baby bottles or carry pollen in baskets, but this is not meant to be a super literal science book.

Still, the science is sound and the book will help kids learn about the different kinds of bees and the jobs they do, their life cycle, how the communicate and how they see.

This book would be a fun addition to your collection of bee books or to add to a pollinator unit study. Or keep it in the science section of the classroom for kids to enjoy the pretty flowers in the illustrations and the good information about the life of bees.

About the book: 32 pages, hardcover, published 2025 by Albatross Books. Suggested retail price $16.95.

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Coffee Cozy Knitting Patterns

During the summer (which is what it is where I am writing from) I like to share patterns for things that you can knit and use even when it’s warm out. And sometimes they are things you can use when it’s cold, too, like this collection of coffee cup cozies. Because hot coffee is a must almost any time of year. 

This simple pattern form Darling Jadore is a great one for beginners and could be a good first knitting in the round project. It uses worsted weight yarn and includes video tutorials if you need extra help. 

If you want a perfectly plain cozy that you can jazz up with your own designs, check out the Base Doodle Cup Cozy from Jamie Lomax. This free pattern on Ravelry comes in two sizes (short and long) and is meant to be used with her doodle charts to make it your own. You could also keep it plain, add stripes or design your own motifs to stitch on it. 

Most coffee cozy patterns that I see are just sleeves meant to go over travel mugs, but what if your mug has a handle? This pattern from Stacey’s Knit Wits has an I-cord loop and button so you can use it on a mug with a handle or a travel cup. It uses DK weight yarn.

Coffee cozies are a fun way to play with stitch patterns and learn new techniques. If you’ve never knit cables before, this cozy from Purple Wool Co. would be a great first cable project, as it features simple braided cables all the way around. It uses worsted weight yarn and is worked in the round. 

Try double knitting to make an extra-insulating coffee cozy with this pattern from Tracy Leming. It includes little color changes so you can get the concept of how double knitting works on a small scale. It also can include a little pocket for a tea bag if you want. This one uses worsted weight yarn and is a free pattern on Ravelry.

Or try stranded knitting with the Love in the Air cozy from Danielle Thuen. It features hearts of different sizes and is worked in sock yarn. You’ll need to make sure those floats are nice and loose so it will stretch to hug your cup. You can find this pattern on Ravelry. 

They’re also a fun way to add a bit of flair to an otherwise plain cup. KnitnKaboodle Designs has this lovely leaf-shaped cozy pattern, which you could use for hot or cold beverages by changing up the fiber you choose (that’s pretty much always true). It is made in pieces that are stitched together and can be worked in a single color or choose different colors for each leaf.