A child tags along with their grandfather, the eponymous Beeman, as he tends to his bees and gathers honey. Told in rhyme.

Gift from Meghan R.

Re-read February 2020
Poem ("Bees" by Aileen Fisher) read at storytime, March 2020 ( )

What's not to love about this book?! The rhythm is soothing and the pictures are detailed without being too busy for little eyes. And once again, gotta love Barefoot Books, the pages and pages of explanations, definitions, and factual information stored in the back like a prize at the end. My 2nd grader loves hearing this part almost as much as the fictional narrative! ( )

A young boys grandfather works a as a beekeeper, and shows him where bees live, what a beekeeper does, and how honey is made. Ages 4-8

An informative introduction to beekeeping for the younger set, Laurie Krebs' The Beeman features a rhyming narrative - "Here is the beehive, where all the bees sleep, / tucked into a box called / a shallow or deep" - that will draw children in, and engaging acrylic illustrations from Argentine artist Valeria Cis that will keep their attention. Describing the various types of bee to be found in a hive - the Queen Bee, the drones, the worker bees - and what they do, as well as the process whereby honey is harvested, the story follows a young boy and his beekeeping grandfather from hive to table, where they enjoy grandmother's muffins (with honey, of course!)...

Originally published in 2002 by National Geographic Children's Books, with illustrations by Melissa Iwai, Krebs' tale was reprinted in 2008 with new artwork by Cis. Having not seen the original edition, I cannot compare the two, but I enjoyed this later version quite a bit, and thought that Cis' artwork was appealing, in a fun and quirky kind of way. I was impressed, moreover, by how much information about bees and beekeeping Krebs managed to work into a text that was also entertaining, and read very well. The additional information at the rear of the book was also most welcome. All in all, an engaging picture-book that I would recommend to all young bee-lovers and would-be beekeepers. ( )