The Honeybee Man
by Lela Nargi
Juvenile Fiction/Non-fiction
Picture book
* * * * Stars (Great!)
Fred the Brooklyn beekeeper loves his bees. He climbs up to his rooftop apiaries every morning to greet his colonies with a “Good morning, my bees, my darlings.” And addresses an individual greeting to each of his bee queens (Mab, Nefertiti, and Boadicea). This is an excellent, accessible introduction for younger children to what bees and their keepers do. It also shows that bees can be kept successfully in big cities (kids may associate bees and beekeeping with farms or forests). For the bee-curious, there’s more information following Fred’s story at the end of the book in an “Amazing Facts” section. Bright, colorful mixed media + collage illustrations make this cheerful and friendly.
Reviewed by YA Librarian
