A Bear, a Bee, and a Honey Tree Reading Guide & Activities | Ages 12 Months–8 Years

Turn storytime into an opportunity to read together, create together, and grow together with this printable companion guide for A Bear, a Bee, and a Honey Tree, written by Daniel Bernstrom and illustrated by Brandon James Scott.

Designed for children ages 12 months through 8 years, this guide helps you enjoy the story at your child’s developmental level—without turning reading time into a lesson or quiz. Start by simply enjoying the book together. Then, return to the story whenever you are ready to explore its expressive illustrations, playful action, and bear-and-bee adventure through engaging questions and interactive crafts. 

Inside this 16-page guide, you’ll find:

• Three During Reading Tips to help you slow down, study the illustrations, and model the thinking readers do while enjoying a story
• Age-appropriate After Reading Questions for:
• 12–18 months
• 18–24 months
• Ages 2–4
• Ages 5–8
• Guidance showing where to ask each question, which skill it supports, and how it helps your child learn
• Complete materials lists and step-by-step directions for two book-inspired crafts
• Ideas for using the finished crafts to act out and extend the story
• Opportunities to build vocabulary, picture awareness, inference, emotional understanding, creativity, story recall, and knowledge about bees and honey

About the activities

The two crafts are designed to work together, allowing families to act out the bear-and-bee chase after reading. Children can retell the story, take turns playing each character, or imagine what happens when the bear returns to the honey tree for another try.

These activities support fine-motor skills, dramatic play, comprehension, memory, oral language, and creativity while giving families another playful way to connect with the story.

The goal is not a picture-perfect project—it is the connection, conversation, creativity, and time spent making and playing together.

This guide is a good fit for families who want to:

• Help children notice how illustrations add meaning to a story
• Build vocabulary related to animals, nature, actions, and emotions
• Practice using picture clues to make inferences
• Explore how bees collect nectar and make honey
• Strengthen story recall through imaginative play
• Make storytime more active, playful, and meaningful
• Enjoy two prepared crafts without having to plan everything themselves

Please note

This is a digital PDF download. No physical book, printed guide, or craft supplies will be mailed.

You will need access to a copy of A Bear, a Bee, and a Honey Tree by Daniel Bernstrom to use the reading portions of this guide. The book may be borrowed from your local library or purchased separately.

Recommended ages: 12 months–8 years

Format: Printable digital PDF

Length: 16 pages

Included activities: 2

Also included: Story-retelling and imaginative-play ideas