Kaia and the Bees

January 1, 2020
A young beekeeper goes from reluctance to enthusiasm with some coaching from Dad. Kaia's brave about almost everything--except for bees. This is a problem, because Kaia's dad keeps two hives on the roof of their apartment building. Dad drones on and on about the importance of bees to the foods Kaia loves, but that doesn't make Kaia want to go near them. However, Kaia talks a big beekeeping game with the building's other kids--only to be found out when a bee landing triggers a public display of fear. Resolved to walk the beekeeping walk, a suited-up Kaia ascends with Dad to the roof, where up-close examination of a frame of bees softens the fear--until Kaia unwisely takes off a glove and is stung. The bee boycott resumes, till two bees accidentally enter the apartment on honey-harvest day, and Kaia bravely opens the window to let them out. Beekeeper Boelts infuses her narrative with both appropriate vocabulary and empathy. Narrator Kaia realistically articulates ambivalence: On the one hand, working the bees makes Kaia feel "electric"; on the other, bee stings hurt! For the most part Dominguez accurately depicts apiary equipment and practices in her friendly cartoons, and she peoples the story with a diverse cast not typically seen in kids' books about beekeeping. Kaia is biracial, with a black dad and white mom. Could be just the ticket for turning bee-phobes into beekeepers. (Picture book. 4-8)

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March 1, 2020
Preschool-G While Kaia boasts that she's brave, even furry-spider-in-the-basement brave, she is afraid of bees. Though her father reads about bees, talks about them, and keeps hives on their apartment building's roof, Kaia screams when a bee lands on her arm. Determined to overcome her fear, she suits up as a beekeeper and helps Dad locate the queen bee in a hive. When Kaia is stung, it's a setback. Still, when it's time to harvest the honey, she helps in the kitchen. And when two bees find their way indoors, she lifts the window to let them escape and waves goodbye. Now she's ready to brave the hives again. The colored-pencil illustrations, digitally enhanced, portray a biracial family in a friendly urban neighborhood and highlight Kaia's feelings. Kids will relate to Kaia's fear and her determination to be brave. Although she understands bees' importance in the environment and knows that she has her father's support, she finds courage only when she begins to consider the bees' viewpoint. An introduction to bees emerges through the natural-sounding dialogue in this expressive picture book.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)