Judy Friedlander, The Bee Squad: Boosting biodiversity in your neighbourhood, NewSouth Publishing, February 2025, 208 pp., RRP $27.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781742238227
I love the premise of The Bee Squad, which is to offer ideas for kids’ activities that support biodiversity, as an antidote to dwelling on eco-anxiety.
The author, Friedlander, is the founder of the award-winning Australian biodiversity programme, Planting Seeds, whose mission is to promote children’s programs that foster environmental sustainability.
Friedlander has filled this book with practical projects for Australian kids to support threatened species, in their backyard, on a balcony, in the local park or at school. There are a wide range of suggestions to suit varying interests, abilities and available resources. Examples are projects to install shelter boxes for animals or pollinators, advice on how to contribute to a biodiversity corridor, tips on becoming a citizen scientist or a biodiversity campaigner and more.
When I started a new garden many years ago, I would have loved Friedlander’s clear and succinct guide on selecting, planting and caring for Australian native plants that support biodiversity. Her tabulated list of native plants and their best suited environment is especially helpful.
Although the text is mostly instructive, there are also entertaining sections with inspiring recounts of children who have engaged in biodiversity projects and short paragraphs of interesting, little-known plant or animal facts.
Black and white illustrations that are instructive, or simply decorative and humorous, break up the text, adding an element of playfulness.
Whilst The Bee Squad may not grab kids’ attention the way many vibrantly coloured children’s non-fiction books do, its value is in being a practical “how to” guide written in lively and child friendly language.
I recommend The Bee Squad as a useful resource for families and teachers to engage kids in biodiversity projects. The publisher has provided useful teacher notes, which helpfully also list Australian Curriculum links for Yr 3, Yr 4 and Yr 5.
Reviewed by Barbara Swartz
