Tell it to the bees. The ancient art of beekeeping is alive and well in Brooklyn, N.Y. Fred is dedicated to his bees and greets them each morning on his rooftop. He has named the queens Mab, Boadicea and Nefertiti, after legendary historic figures; the bees are his "sweeties" and his "darlings." He hums with them as they swarm and flies with them in his imagination as they search for the most fragrant flowers. When the time is right, he carefully gathers their honey, jars it, shares it with his neighbors and, of course, savors some of that luscious honey himself. Nargi's descriptive language is filled with smell and sound and sight, carrying readers right up to that rooftop with Fred, while seamlessly interweaving detailed information about beekeeping. An afterword of "amazing facts" explains more about apiarists, bees' life cycles and more, all in light, easy-to-understand syntax. Brooker's oil-and-collage illustrations, appropriately rendered in greens and browns, golds and ambers, enhance the text beautifully. They accurately depict Fred's and the bees' actions while creating a stylized, fanciful view of a homey Brooklyn neighborhood, complete with a view of the Brooklyn Bridge. Even the endpapers are integral to the work, presenting labeled diagrams of bees and beekeeping materials. Eccentric and unusual with an appealing, gentle charm. (Picture book. 5-10)

In her children's book debut, Nargi presents a leisurely but diverting look at the life of a Brooklyn beekeeper. Readers join elderly Fred as he rises at dawn one July morning and heads to the roof to check his three bee houses. As summer progresses, Fred imagines the activity inside the hive, then carefully harvests jars of rich, sweet "Fred's Brooklyn Honey, Made by Tireless Brooklyn Bees" to share with his neighbors. Copious details are carefully woven into descriptions of Fred's day-to-day activities ("When the bees return to their hives, Fred notices that they are flying slooowly—heavy, now, with nectar"). In sunny, oil-and-collage compositions, Brooker (Math Attack!), inspired by her former Brooklyn neighborhood, captures the bustle of sidewalks and storefronts, as well as the serenity of Fred's rooftop and a green expanse of park. She also does a fine job demonstrating the steps of collecting honey—even the bees' "waggle dances." An endnote and the endpapers provide additional information about bees and beekeepers. Kids should find this easygoing blend of fiction and fact fascinating. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)

PreS-Gr 3—Although most people probably associate honeybees with fields of flowers in the countryside, Fred tends his hives on the rooftop of his home in Brooklyn. From there the intrepid worker bees fly out to gather nectar from backyard flowers and blossoming bushes. Fred follows them in his imagination, creating pictures that allow readers to view scenes inside the hives and learn about how the bees work together. At the end of summer Fred collects and processes the honeycomb to produce jars of amber honey that he shares with his neighbors. His affection for his bees is evident in the warm tones of Brooker's collage and oil illustrations as well as in the words of the sweet, lyrical text. Nargi incorporates basic facts about honeybees and beekeeping into her narrative and supplies two additional pages of information following Fred's story. Pair this with Laurie Krebs's story about beekeeping in the country in The Beeman (Barefoot, 2008) or Lori Mortensen's look at wild bees in In the Trees, Honey Bees! (Dawn, 2009) for other views about how and where bees produce honey. However, Nargi's book can definitely stand on its own for its unusual glimpse of beekeeping in an urban setting.—Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato