Please Please the Bees

By Gerald Kelley

2017 Frances & Wesley Bock Book Award for Children's Literature
The Original Art 2017 Exhibit
2018 Storytelling World Resource Award Honor - Stories for Young Listeners
2018 ILA-CBC Children's Choices

The bees are on strike!

Benedict has a pretty sweet life for a bear. Every morning the bees leave a jar of honey on his doorstep, and every day he has honey for breakfast and honey in his tea. It's an important part of his day. But all that changes when the bees go on strike. Now it’s up to Benedict to listen to the bees, and he realizes there’s a lot more he could be doing to help them. So he fixes up the hive and learns to be a better beekeeper. Will the bees be pleased?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
• Release date: Apr 11, 2017
• ISBN: 9780807551844

Gerald Kelley

Gerald Kelly has illustrated several picture books, including documentarian Ken Burns's bestselling children's book, Grover Cleveland, Again! He lives in Colorado.

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Reviews for Please Please the Bees

[nightprose · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Benedict is living a very sweet life. Of course, he is a bear, so his needs are pretty straightforward. The best part of his day is when the bees deliver honey to his door each morning. Gerald loves honey! Honey is a big part of Gerald’s day. He uses it on his toast, he uses it to sweeten his baking. Gerald puts it in his bedtime tea. That is, until the day when there is no honey.Suddenly, the bees in the yard all go on strike! Benedict tries to go on without honey, but his life is not the same. Without honey, life is not as sweet. He becomes very sad. That is when a bee comes to Benedict for a heart-to-heart talk.It seemed the bees in Benedict’s yard feel they are taken for granted. They have done their part to take care of Benedict, but they realized he was doing nothing in return for them. They could not go on the way things were.From the bees, Benedict learns what he needs to do to help the bees stay healthy and happy. He learns that bees need certain conditions to make the honey that he loves. Benedict also learns what he can do to help the bees.So, Benedict goes to work to make his yard a healthy, happy place for the bees. He educates himself on the best flowers for bees. He gets the seeds and plants them, waters them. He even keeps the garden weeded. Benedict also learns about honey and how to harvest it.When the bees see the hard work, Benedict has done to repay them, they are happy, again. The strike is over! The bees immediately go back to work. Life is sweet for everyone, now.This is a sweet book! The message is simple and clear. From the great bear to the tiny honeybee to the flowers, we all share this world. If we take care of nature, it will take care of us. I highly recommend this positive book to teach this simple truth to kids. Share it with the children in your life. Everyone will benefit from that, too.