A charming introduction to beekeeping that needs further elaboration on bees’ environmental importance.
Williams explores backyard beekeeping in this illustrated children’s book.
Readers meet a boy nicknamed “Bugzee” for his love of all things related to insects. Bugzee knows a lot about bees thanks to a backyard apiary where his grandparents tend to honeybees. He can’t get too close, because he doesn’t have a beekeeping suit; instead, he watches the action through binoculars from his “honeybee headquarters” in the greenhouse. Bugzee is excited about a new package of bees arriving soon. His grandmother asks him to help with the bee boxes and frames, where the bees build their honeycomb and the queen lays her eggs. A sidebar explains that beehives typically have one queen bee, hundreds of drones, and thousands of worker bees. The queen bee lays all the fertilized eggs for the hive—up to 1 million in her lifetime. The drones are male and do not have stingers; their job is to mate with queens from other hives. The worker bees are female and tend to the housekeeping, feed the babies, make wax, and collect pollen and nectar. Bugzee’s mom informs him that a garden of native plants will be a source of nectar and pollen for the bees. In the final scene, Bugzee opens a box to find a new beekeeping suit. “I can’t wait to help take care of my very own hive!” he exclaims. This engaging children’s book balances narrative and nonfiction deftly, juxtaposing Bugzee’s scenes with sections of facts about beekeeping (including photographs). Williams simplifies complex bee-related concepts, like defining an apiary as a “bee yard” where “human-made beehives are located.” Unfortunately, while the story stresses that “We must do what we can to protect all species of bees because they play a vital role in ecosystems around the world,” it is not fully explained exactly how bees help the environment. Goshay’s bold digital illustrations incorporate the honeycombs’ hexagonal designs and golden hues while also emphasizing the characters’ faces, effectively conveying the family’s enthusiasm.
A charming introduction to beekeeping that needs further elaboration on bees’ environmental importance.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 9798396752795
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: July 2, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones.
Not even the arrival of autumn can cool down this impetuous squirrel.
Although Squirrel is skeptical about Bird’s vegetable patch (“Nothing is HAPPENING!”), Bird does produce five (count them) lovely pumpkins. Squirrel picks out a favorite: “The enormous orange one.” Bird hints that Squirrel might want to help out; Squirrel sets out to fetch some work gloves and returns to find only four pumpkins. The frequently distracted Squirrel notices more gourds disappearing and leaps to the conclusion that a thief is near. And where’s Bird?! Has Squirrel’s pal also been taken? Diligently detecting, Squirrel finds clues—peck marks, footprints, and more—and produces a sketch of the suspect. As readers will guess, each clue turns out to point to one of Squirrel and Bird’s friends. Turns out Bird was delivering pumpkins to their pals while saving the big one to give to “my very best friend,” Squirrel. But why does Squirrel haul it up a tree? “So the Pumpkin Thief can’t find it, of course!” A page of pumpkin facts provides the learning component common to all titles in this series. Once more, readers will enjoy the pleasure of prediction and repetition, Squirrel’s silly persistence, Bird’s generosity, and the vibrant color illustrations, balancing orange with green.
More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 28, 2026
ISBN: 9781464268076
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2026
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for...
A gentle voice and familiar pitfalls characterize this tale of a boy navigating the risky road to responsibility.
Gavin is new to his neighborhood and Carver Elementary. He likes his new friend, Richard, and has a typically contentious relationship with his older sister, Danielle. When Gavin’s desire to impress Richard sets off a disastrous chain of events, the boy struggles to evade responsibility for his actions. “After all, it isn’t his fault that Danielle’s snow globe got broken. Sure, he shouldn’t have been in her room—but then, she shouldn’t be keeping candy in her room to tempt him. Anybody would be tempted. Anybody!” opines Gavin once he learns the punishment for his crime. While Gavin has a charming Everyboy quality, and his aversion to Aunt Myrtle’s yapping little dog rings true, little about Gavin distinguishes him from other trouble-prone protagonists. He is, regrettably, forgettable. Coretta Scott King Honor winner English (Francie, 1999) is a teacher whose storytelling usually benefits from her day job. Unfortunately, the pizzazz of classroom chaos is largely absent from this series opener.
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for subsequent volumes. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Dec. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-547-97044-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
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