The King of Bees

There is an otherworldliness to this book, set in the Carolinas between the sea and the land, where the fresh water mixes with salt. Henry is living with his Aunt Lilla, who keeps bees, and rather than being afraid, he feels he can talk to them, and do their dance, to tell them where to go.

It is a dreamtime sort of story. And it is based on the authors own time with his grandmother, who did not keep bees, but who had bees in her garden.

This picture below, where the boy is trying to lure the bees to their new house, and instead they follow him to the porch where he is taking a nap, shows just how unafraid he is.

Lovely book about being one with nature, and respecting it as well. Plus, kids get to learn about bees. :)

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Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

This is a delightful tale of caring, taking responsibility, and bee conservation.

Henry lives in South Carolina Lowcountry with his aunt Lilla. She owns a small farm and sustains it by selling honey and eggs. She dons her protective bee suit, with a hat that has a net to protect her face from stings, and goes out to check on her bees' activies. She allows Henry to tote the smoker which is needed to calm the bees while she checks the bee hive boxes for any accumulation of their sweet honey.

She directs Henry to stay a good way back and sit on a stump while she tends to the bee sanctuary. She talks to the sister bees in a quiet, encouraging voice and explains to her little nephew all about bee behaviours and their habits. He listens very closely because Henry is fascinated with these magnificent busy, buzzing insects.

Although he knows he is yet too small to handle the bees himself he decides to sneak away one day and encounter the bees all on his own during swarm season. He attires himself with his aunt's oversized beekeeping suit and accidentally spills a bottle of "bee drops"down the front. The fragrance of these special drops attract a swarm of bees to Henry. They eagerly follow him home intoxicated by the the smell. Oh my!

Will Henry escape unharmed? How will these bees be returned to their rightful bee hive boxes? Luckily his aunt Lilla who is a seasoned apiarist saves the day.

The water-colour and ink illustrations are truly gorgeous. They are so realistic and the colour pallet is soft and inviting. They are so beautiful that they could stand all on their own but when added to the text together they make an enriched dynamic duo.

The story is educational and kids will love to learn how bees are harboured, protected and vital to our world's ecosystem. I highly recommend this book.

This is a beautifully illustrated book written by Lester L. Laminack and illustrated by Jim LaMarche. It is a sweet story of a little boy who wants to help his aunt take care of her bees as well as learn how to bee speak. The text is quite lyrical and the story is told in a way that the reader of listener will be able to learn about bees, how they help humans and plants as well as the importance of protecting them. The author includes a website in the note at the end to learn more about honeybees. I can see this book being used in a late primary/early junior classroom when learning about bees, plants and pollination as well as protecting species. It is also just a nice story to read for enjoyment. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley.