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carolineinthelibrary's review against another edition
4.0
This picture book beautifully illustrates the kind of work bees do to make honey! It was a little lengthy, so I'd recommend it more for an older crowd or a class unit on bees, but I thought it was really interesting!
lattelibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
What a fun look at how local beekeeping is done in dense areas! This is a fantastic book describing a grassroots food project that binds together a community. With beautiful and unique illustrations, this picture book describes what bees do in their hives, what they do to find honey, and how the pollen they collect affects the taste and color of the honey. Overall, this is a very cool book, and one that I think should be read much, much more now that it's on my radar.
Review cross-listed here!
Review cross-listed here!
kristenremenar's review against another edition
Good combination of science and story. Lots of great sensory details, too, in this story of a man who keeps bees on his rooftop in Brooklyn.
aoosterwyk's review against another edition
4.0
A good blend of nonfiction information in a picture book. Fred's love for his bees and his neighborhood comes through loud and clear. The explanations for what is going on in the beehive is simple and accurate and the illustrations are urban and weathered. They give a sense of how Fred lives, not too polished, but full of heart.
beths0103's review against another edition
5.0
You don't often think of the writing in picture books as being beautiful or even noteworthy. More often than not, it's the story itself or the lesson, or the beautiful, humorous, or moody illustrations that stand out to readers.
In this lovely picture book by Lela Nargi and Kyrsten Brooker, however, the writing is the standout. It is full of such lush, sensory details, that you can hear the bees buzzing, see them collecting nectar, and then you can taste the sweet honey.
This would be a perfect mentor text to use in the classroom when talking about sensory details.
In this lovely picture book by Lela Nargi and Kyrsten Brooker, however, the writing is the standout. It is full of such lush, sensory details, that you can hear the bees buzzing, see them collecting nectar, and then you can taste the sweet honey.
This would be a perfect mentor text to use in the classroom when talking about sensory details.
shawnareads24's review against another edition
4.0
Fred, a beekeeper in Brooklyn, greets his bee family each day and sees them on their way as they go about their job of making honey. The illustrations are a combination of full page and small pictures on white pages. Within the story, are facts about bees, which help the reader understand the process of making honey. This book would be great paired with a nonfiction text on honeybees.
naughty_librarian's review against another edition
4.0
A "sweet" simple story about an apiarists in Brooklyn, with a few basics on beekeeping in an urban setting. Mixed media art adds a (honeycomb?) level to the images and story. It's always nice to see how nature can still thrive in places so congested with people.
pussreboots's review against another edition
4.0
May in Castro Valley means the start of the farmer's market. And that means fresh honey. Castro Valley is a mixture of urban and rural but honey can be produced anywhere there are flowers. The Honeybee Man by Lela Nargi is about a man who keeps bees in Brooklyn, New York.
Two and a half million people live in Brooklyn, Kings County. It's part of the massive urban area that is New York City, a city containing five boroughs. It's not a likely place for a beehive large enough to produce honey, but that's exactly what the honeybee man and his bees do on their rooftop hive.
The book follows both the bees and the man as they do their part to create the honey. The bees find nectar on flowers abloom all around the neighborhood. They also raise their babies, take care of the queen and build wax rooms.
Kyrsten Brooker's energetic illustrations capture the work the bees are doing and the enthusiasm the beekeeper has for his bees.
Two and a half million people live in Brooklyn, Kings County. It's part of the massive urban area that is New York City, a city containing five boroughs. It's not a likely place for a beehive large enough to produce honey, but that's exactly what the honeybee man and his bees do on their rooftop hive.
The book follows both the bees and the man as they do their part to create the honey. The bees find nectar on flowers abloom all around the neighborhood. They also raise their babies, take care of the queen and build wax rooms.
Kyrsten Brooker's energetic illustrations capture the work the bees are doing and the enthusiasm the beekeeper has for his bees.
beecheralyson's review against another edition
4.0
This was a stand out for me today in the pile that I was reading. The end notes provide the reader with great facts about bees and honey making. I liked how the facts about bees and honey making are woven into a story (which you discover at the end is based on a true story) of a man living in New York with several bee hives and makes honey for friends. Illustrations support the text.
tashrow's review
5.0
On a quiet summer morning, Fred heads to the roof of his home in Brooklyn where his bee hives are. With his cup of tea, he spends time with the bees, thinking about the honey they will make for him. He imagines flying like a bee and looking for nectar. He encourages the young bees to have courage on their first flights. He celebrates the older bees as they throw themselves into the air, some stopping to land on his sleeves first to greet him. He knows they will return full of nectar that then will be made into honey by others in the hive. At the end of August, Fred harvests the honey from the hives, resulting in golden jars of sweetness that he shares with his neighbors. This is a book about communities large and small, interwoven together.
The language in this book is lovely and evocative. It is a book that creates small moments of celebrations. Here is a passage of Fred’s morning in July greeting the bees:
"Fred inhales the smells of a summer city morning: maple leaves and gasoline and the river and dust. He turns to the tiny city and inhales its smaller, sweeter smell – a little like caramel, a little like ripe peaches."
All of the senses are filled with the experience of urban bee keeping in this book. It is packed with these sensory moments. The language is poetic and beautifully detailed.
The mixed-media illustrations have a whimsical feel to them. Just as the book itself does, they celebrate Brooklyn, urban life, and the bees. There is a homey, warm feel that is often lacking in books about cities that is a pleasure to see.
Celebrate bee keeping, city life, and community with this book. Appropriate for ages 4-7.
The language in this book is lovely and evocative. It is a book that creates small moments of celebrations. Here is a passage of Fred’s morning in July greeting the bees:
"Fred inhales the smells of a summer city morning: maple leaves and gasoline and the river and dust. He turns to the tiny city and inhales its smaller, sweeter smell – a little like caramel, a little like ripe peaches."
All of the senses are filled with the experience of urban bee keeping in this book. It is packed with these sensory moments. The language is poetic and beautifully detailed.
The mixed-media illustrations have a whimsical feel to them. Just as the book itself does, they celebrate Brooklyn, urban life, and the bees. There is a homey, warm feel that is often lacking in books about cities that is a pleasure to see.
Celebrate bee keeping, city life, and community with this book. Appropriate for ages 4-7.