When the Bees Fly Home Andrea Cheng Illustrated by Joline McFadden Hardcover, $16.95, ISBN 978-0-88448-238-3 9 x 10, 32 pages, color illustrations Children / Nature; Grades 3-6

". . . Large, captivating watercolors accompany this moving story of a boy whose search for acceptance leads him to discover his own abilities. Facts about bees, printed in text that loops like the flight of the insect, complement the family story on each page. A short list of bee resources is appended . . ."
—Booklist

". . . a loving story of a boy coming to recognize his value, and a farmer coming to appreciate his son. As in most Tilbury House children's books, science isn't far away. This time, bits of information about bees and their hives dance like a bee's flight at the bottom of each page. McFadden, a retired high school biology teacher, offers endearing, realistic watercolors to connect us to the story . . ."
—Donna Gold, Maine Sunday Telegram

Boys often gain recognition in our culture for their strength and athletic ability, and those who do not fit into the traditional mold may feel misunderstood. When the Bees Fly Home allows readers to see that artistic and sensitive boys have their own special place.

Young Jonathan, the son of a beekeeper, isn't sturdy enough to help his dad with some of the work on the farm, and his father is sometimes irritable with him. It's worse now, because the family is struggling to make ends meet during a drought, and their bees aren't making much honey.

When Jonathan's mom stays up late one night to make beeswax candles to sell at the local farmer's market, Jonathan comes downstairs to help. He puts his own skills to work modeling small wax animals and insects to decorate the candles. Their candles prove so popular that they come home from the market with orders for more.

Bee facts buzz through this human story about a child trying to please his father, and we come to understand why Jonathan is so fascinated with bees and why we might want to learn more about them ourselves. Some wonderful resources on bees are offered at the end of the book.

Andrea Cheng teaches English as a Second Language and writes children's books in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she lives with her husband and their three children. She is the author of Grandfather Counts (Lee & Low), Anna the Bookbinder (Walker & Co., 2003), and and two young adult novels. The idea for When the Bees Fly Home came from observing her brother, who is a beekeeper and bee inspector in Southern Ohio. Joline McFadden is a retired high school biology teacher who lives in Lewiston, Maine. An accomplished watercolorist, this is her first children's book. For more about Andrea: www.andreacheng.com

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