Do you need a book to let school aged children know they can help change the world for the better? Then, The Big Idea Gang: BEE THE CHANGE fits the bill. Readers will learn how important honeybees are to the world’s food chain, while also learning that the lessons their teachers’ are instructing them in, for persuasive writing, do work in the real world.

While elementary friends, Kim Park and Lizzy O’Malley, get excited about honeybees through Kim’s parent’s friend Ozzie- the beekeeper, they learn how important honeybees are to the food we eat daily. Then, they get their friend Deon Gibson, Lizzy’s twin brother- Connor , and Otis Smick interested in honeybees. Finally, when they ask their teacher for help, she guides them through the steps of persuasive writing’s call to action. The gang gets the principal, the school nurse- who is in charge of the school garden, Ozzie the beekeeper, and a big school turnout of students and parents on a drizzly Saturday morning to plant a much bigger garden that will attract honeybees.

The Big Idea Gang: BEE THE CHANGE works well at showing how elementary students can change the world for the better, but Preller’s writing may be a bit too obvious he is teaching a science lesson, too . Stephen Gilpin’s black and white illustration ( two or three per chapter) show a diverse group of ordinary students working together and enjoying it.

Included at the story’s end, Deon and Connor recap twelve honeybee facts they found interesting. Then, their teacher presents five pages on how to engage people with your ideas or writing.

If you need a book to show why and how persuasive writing is important, The Big Idea Gang: BEE THE CHANGE does the job in a very obvious way.