ALA Booklist (Thu Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2018)

Henry and his aunt Lilla live on a farm in the South Carolina Lowcountry, and he happily helps with chores on their small patch of land, which contains the farmhouse, clothesline, henhouse, garden, marsh area with rowboat, and, of course, the beehives. More than anything else, Henry is fascinated by the bees. He watches Aunt Lilla closely as she calms the bees with smoke and speaks softly to the "girls." She explains how the sister bees clean the hive, collect food, and make honey. Henry feels connected to the bees, humming and dancing to try to communicate with them. A close encounter with the hive almost has dire consequences, but Henry proves he is ready to take an active role in beekeeping. Sweetly nostalgic ink-and-watercolor illustrations could depict the past or the present and offer an atmospheric complement to the gentle, warm, and informative text. An author's note provides further factual information about honeybees and their significant role in the human food production system.

Kirkus Reviews

Henry learns a lesson in responsibility and nature in this quiet tale of love and honeybees.Henry lives with his aunt Lilla in the South Carolina Lowcountry. Lilla's home is a small farm, and the two rely on honey from their beehives and eggs for their henhouse for added income. Henry is fascinated by the honeybees, and he accompanies his aunt whenever possible to watch her work the hives. As Lilla works, she explains the behavior and habits of the bees to Henry, but he's still too young to help. On his own one day during swarm season, Henry puts on her beekeeping suit so he can visit the hives and help the bees discover the swarm box that Lilla has set up. While putting on Lilla's beekeeping suit, Henry spills a bottle of "bee drops" (a mysterious liquid that has a pleasing smell to honeybees) on the suit. The bee drops attract the swarm to the much-too-large suit, and Lilla is able to capture it. It's in this resolution that the story stumbles, as, for all of Lilla's explanations of beekeeping, the bee drops go undefined. The sentimental author's note does not fill in that gap. LaMarche's artwork, a vibrant combination of watercolor and ink, glows and will make many readers want to visit Aunt Lilla's home.Visually lovely and tonally appealing, this book will be best used when additional information is available to help with questions. (Picture book. 6-8)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Laminack (Three Hens and a Peacock) proffers a gentle tale full of Southern charm about a boy whose aunt is a beekeeper. Henry is fascinated by his Aunt Lilla-s hives and by the rapport she has with her bees. -Sister bees hum when they-re working,- she explains. -If they have news to tell, they do their talking-dance.- There-s a queen, she tells him, but no king. Henry-s awkward attempts to help his -sisters- and his aunt culminate in a chance to save her hive in an unexpected way-an occasion that calls for Henry to stay calm when he becomes covered with bees. Aunt Lilla is independent, knowledgeable about the creatures she keeps, and able to explain complicated concepts to Henry in a way he (and readers) can understand. LaMarche (Pond) dwells on the beauty of the South Carolina Lowcountry. His ink-and-watercolor spreads are light and dreamy, with evocative sunrise shades and detailed looks at beekeeping equipment and the bees themselves. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)