When the Bees Fly Home

Jonathan isn’t as strong or physical as his brother and can’t seem to please his beekeeper dad when he tries to help on the farm.

Worried about the drought that has caused a big decrease in honey production, his dad is irritable and remote, seemingly unable to offer the acceptance that Jonathan yearns for. But one sleepless night Jonathan joins his mother in the kitchen making beeswax candles for sale, and discovers an outlet for his artistic talents that will make a big contribution to the family finances.  

• Bee-fact sidebars buzz through this human story about a child trying to please his father.
• In this expanded paperback edition, an “About Bees” appendix offers further natural history about these vital and fascinating insects.
• Helps us see that sensitive, artistic boys have their own special place.

Fountas & Pinnell Level O

The daughter of Hungarian immigrants, ANDREA CHENG (1958–2015) married a son of Chinese immigrants, and her children’s books reflect her multicultural roots. These include the picture book Grandfather Counts, the YA novel Marika, the middle-grade story The Lace Dowry, her Anna Wang novels, and others. Tilbury House also published her picture book When the Bees Fly Home.

Joline McFadden is a retired high school biology teacher who lives in Lewiston, Maine. An accomplished watercolorist, this is her first children’s book.