A true gem for any classroom! Shabazz Larkin’s The Thing about Bees is an “all about”, “how to” and poem all wrapped into one. A mentor text dream!
Second Graders said
I never knew bees were so important!
I think this book is about courage. Mr. Larkin was afraid of bees. He wrote this book to show his sons that people can overcome their fears.
WOW! There are so many different kinds of bees!
My favorite page is the “how to”. It shows the steps of how bees help make other plants grow.”
The Perfect Mentor Text
Shabazz Larkin uses his fear of bees to write this love poem to his sons. A perfect mentor text to show topic generation.
Written as a poem, Mr. Larkin weaves other genres into poetry. A perfect mentor text to entice students to do the same.
Incorporating comparison is a skill many students that use TCRWP Units of Study need to incorporate into their pieces. Shabazz Larkin does this perfectly. Students will immediately identify the comparison of children to bees and give it a go into their own pieces.