Growing A Pathway for Pollinators: A Book Review + FREE Resources
A review of A Pathway for Pollinators, plus printable resources for creating a pollinator-friendly garden.
If you’ve ever planted something for pollinators and found yourself invested in every single bloom that doesn’t get eaten… you’re in good company.
Little did we know when we installed our pollinator garden we’d take part in endless negotiations with the local rabbit population, who seem to believe we’ve planted a generous salad bar. Despite this ongoing misunderstanding, we’re excited to watch our little patch grow and thrive once it’s finally established.
While our garden is small, it’s part of something much bigger — a collective effort to support the bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators that keep our ecosystems flourishing. A book that invites our youngest readers to take part in this effort is A Pathway for Pollinators by Michelle Schaub, with art by Blanca Gomez.
This is the kind of picture book that inspires readers to become part of a movement.
A pollinator pathway is exactly as it sounds. It’s a series of pollinator-friendly plants providing food and habitat to traveling bees, butterflies, and other important visitors. Michelle Schaub, whose work I’ve always loved for its poetic text and real-world connections, begins this story with a girl waiting for the bus in a vibrant, thrumming meadow.
When the bus enters the city, the landscape changes. The flowers disappear as they’re replaced by concrete, tidy lawns, and straight lines.
But with the help of her teacher, the young girl and her companions imagine what the city could be. Together, they plant flowers throughout their community, creating small but important pit stops for pollinators. As blossoms appear, so do bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, transforming not only the landscape but the life within the neighborhood.
Written in lyrical prose, this book seamlessly blends storytelling with practical tips on beginning their own pollinator pathway with a reminder that it doesn’t need to be a sprawling meadow or expansive yard to make a difference. A single garden bed, a container on a porch, or a corner of a schoolyard can become part of a much larger pathway as long as they’re thoughtfully placed.
The back matter extends the story even further with information on the importance of pollinator pathways, the role pollinators play in our ecosystems, and practical ways families, classrooms, and communities can join the movement.
Educators, you’ll discover numerous themes to play with for your classrooms, including ecology, stewardship and conservation, community, SEL, and potential STEAM connections.
Thank you to Michelle for sharing a copy of this book to review! Explore more about this title, including where you can find it to purchase and educator guides on Michelle’s website at the button below.
After finishing the book, I found myself tumbling down a rabbit hole (a much friendlier one than the visitors in my garden) and discovered pollinator pathways stretch across communities throughout the United States and into Canada!
It’s inspiring to see how every patch of native flowers, no matter how small, contributes to a network that helps ecosystems thrive.
If you’re inspired to become part of the movement, you can explore more about pollinator pathways through the resource linked below, or add your own garden to the growing network!
I also wanted to reshare two printable resources I shared earlier this spring: a Pollinator Plant Guide to help you plan your own pollinator patch, and a Garden Helpers Poster celebrating the many critters that keep our gardens healthy.
If you plan to install a backyard pollinator patch, tend a classroom garden, or simply encourage children to notice the tiny visitors among the flowers, I hope these resources inspire the little ones in your care.
Happy planting! And may your flowers bloom faster than the rabbits can find them.
Warmly,
Lindsay
Coming Up Next
Later this week, the second installment of Storybook Summer Camp arrives in your inbox! We’ll explore the stories hidden within the giants around us: trees. From bark and branches to rings and roots, we’ll play with one of nature’s greatest storytellers. (And you’ll spot another beautiful title by Michelle Schaub on this booklist!)
Early next week, keep an eye out for our Zoo-themed Play & Learn Packet! We’ve been having a blast creating playful invitations inspired by animal families and their habitats, STEM challenges, and, of course...visiting the zoo.
You may notice a few more picture book reviews sprinkled into the posting schedule. One of my favorite things is discovering stories that naturally inspire play and hands-on learning, and I’d love to share more of those finds with you.
Would you enjoy seeing more book reviews like this? If there’s a new release, favorite author, or topic you’d love to explore more of, send me a note or leave a comment. I always love hearing what books are finding a home on your shelves.